


Live Young, Die Free

by DiamantNoir



Series: Powers That Be [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Boys Being Boys, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Slice of Life, Strangers to Lovers, Superpowers, Tutoring, hints of markhyuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24280363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamantNoir/pseuds/DiamantNoir
Summary: Jungwoo has a plan and Lucas Wong does not fit into it.When his teacher asks him to tutor Lucas, Jungwoo's fully prepared to do the job and walk away. That is, until he finds himself gaining feelings he never intended to gain.He's always known what he's needed to do. Now, he's not so sure if he can do it and get what he wants at the same time.
Relationships: Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Series: Powers That Be [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730035
Comments: 32
Kudos: 175





	Live Young, Die Free

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second part of my Powers That Be series. It's the prequel to the first story in the series. You don't need to read the first one in order to understand this one, but it might be nice to. Just so that you can get more view into the world if you're interested in that. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Jungwoo is fourteen when his eleven-year-old cousin, Donghyuck, comes to live with him.

In their foyer, Donghyuck is so small. So quiet. There’s a distinct nervous energy that spins around him like a hurricane that Jungwoo doesn’t blame him for. Donghyuck knows—even if he shouldn’t—that Jungwoo’s mom and dad don’t want him in their home. It’s not a secret, even though it should be. Even though they really shouldn’t feel that way.

Not that he blames either of them for it, either. Jungwoo’s mom has just lost her sister, Donghyuck’s mother, only a month ago, and his father is just trying to keep her from feeling sad all the time. He knows that by letting Donghyuck through their front door that it’ll be harder to succeed on that task.

Jungwoo, while understanding all this, is also aware that Donghyuck needs his family more than his parents need to protect their feelings. Donghyuck’s lost his parents. At the age of eleven. To a tragedy he never expected, nor could control.

It takes weeks to get his parents to agree to it while Donghyuck stays in a home for orphans across town. He can’t imagine what’s going through Donghyuck’s head at that moment, but he’s sure it’s not happy thoughts. The only reason they finally agreed to it was because Jungwoo could be quite persuasive, and his powers were the complete opposite to Donghyuck’s.

Fire and water.

But, right now, Donghyuck doesn’t look like a fire user with great power. He looks like a sad, little boy and Jungwoo just wants to help him, especially when he notices the way Donghyuck’s hand clutches at his duffle bag with white knuckles. His hood is up over his head, keeping his face covered in shadow and fabric.

“Well?” Jungwoo’s dad, Siwon, presses, crossing his arms over his chest. He’s tall, much like Jungwoo, but where Jungwoo is long, lanky limbs, his father is a rather intimidating, burly man. He frowns when Donghyuck doesn’t move. With a huff, he reaches out and yanks the hood from the boy’s head.

He doesn’t look much different from the family gathering they had a few months ago. Black hair, golden skin, and chubby cheeks. But his eyes seem to have lost the mischief they once had. Something much darker sits within his irises that no child should have.

Donghyuck still refuses to move and Jungwoo wonders if he’s purposefully being defiant or if he’s simply scared. He honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it was both. He tries to catch Donghyuck’s eye, but the boy is stubbornly burning holes into the tiled flooring.

“Got nothing to say, boy?” snaps Siwon. It’s the kind of tone that feels entirely inappropriate for the moment and has Jungwoo’s eyes rolling up to their white ceiling in a silent prayer. 

“Oh, don’t even bother,” Liu Wen, his mother, says. Her eyes are still red and a bit glazed over. No doubt she’s been crying over her sister all night. Jungwoo can sometimes hear her through the walls of their bedrooms. “Stubborn like a bull. Like his father.”

If Jungwoo hadn’t turned his attention back to Donghyuck, he would have missed the way Donghyuck’s tiny fingers tightened on his bag even more.

“How about I take him to his room?” Jungwoo suggests, wanting nothing else but to get out of the room. And to take Donghyuck with him. “Get him set up, yeah? It’s up the stairs. Come on.”

He takes Donghyuck by the shoulders and ushers him up the staircase. It’s the first door on the right, down the hall from the bathroom and across the way from Jungwoo’s room. It used to be the guestroom. All the furniture inside is simple and cheap, the walls pale and boring. His parents have made no move to decorate it, though perhaps that’s for the best. Donghyuck can do what he likes with it now.

Donghyuck steps in first, stopping just short of the bed and takes in the room. He doesn’t seem all that impressed. Not that Jungwoo would either. He manages a smile when the boy looks at him.

“It’s not much, but you can do what you want,” he tells Donghyuck, who drops his duffle bag and sits on the bed, testing the bounce. “Get you some posters or something.”

Donghyuck’s voice is thin, mumbled, when he says, “Don’t need them.”

Jungwoo wets his lips and nods. No one really needs posters or things, but that doesn’t mean a child should be without them. Still, he isn’t going to press. At least on that.

“At least get better bed sheets. Those are boring as hell.” He juts his chin out toward the awful, beige flannel his mother picked out ages ago. “I’ll take you shopping tomorrow. Well, I’ll let you settle in. I’m across the hall if you need anything at all. I’ll come get you for dinner, too, all right?”

Donghyuck nods.

True to his word, he comes to get Donghyuck for dinner hours later, but the boy is fast asleep, curled up on the top of his flannel sheets. Jungwoo leaves a plate of food on the dresser for when he finally wakes up and returns to his room, ignoring the quiet whispers of his parents while they talk about the ‘monster’ in their house. But all Jungwoo can do as he closes the door is think about the little kid who has no parents, no home, and forced to grow up a little faster than he should.

*

It takes four months for Jungwoo’s parents to welcome Donghyuck to the dining table all on their own without Jungwoo interfering. It takes seven months for Donghyuck to knock on Jungwoo’s door and ask for help on his homework. It takes nine months and three days for Donghyuck to come to their front door while Jungwoo’s parents are away and ask for help because the poor boy that stands at the end of their land has a bloody nose and Donghyuck has no idea how to fix it. Jungwoo has to drive them to the hospital because he doesn’t know either and it looks like the nose may be broken. It takes roughly three years for Donghyuck to come out of his shell, to become the snarky, bratty teenager he is, and have a total of four very good friends.

And Jungwoo couldn’t be happier, especially when he gets to rip open Donghyuck’s curtains bright and early on a Monday morning and listen to the whines and groans of his younger cousin. He takes pleasure in the small things.

“Get up,” he says, slapping Donghyuck’s leg while moving across the room to the door. “Breakfast is on the table.”

Donghyuck elicits a loud, obnoxious groan and Jungwoo doesn’t bother to close the door because he knows it’ll annoy Donghyuck more if it’s open.

The house is empty besides the two of them. His mom works long business hours and his father is a manager at a store, so they’re hardly even around when Jungwoo gets up. And he’s usually up before the sun is. Unlike Donghyuck, who likes to wait until the last possible moment.

He reaches the bottom step of the stairwell, yanks on the front door, and says, “Come on in, Mark,” and continues his way to the kitchen.

Mark blinks, hand still in the air to knock. Even after all these years, after Jungwoo’s told him to simply walk in, Mark always knocks. It’s both endearing and annoying. He quietly says hello, takes off his shoes, and hurries after Jungwoo.

“Donghyuck still in bed?” Mark asks as he reaches over to the plate that’s meant for his best friend and steals a piece of toast.

“Yeah, and if he doesn’t hurry up,” he raises his voice so he can be heard through the floor, “he’ll be late for class!”

A door is slammed in response. From the sound, at least it’s the bathroom, which means Donghyuck is officially moving for the day. Mark smirks into his toast, shaking his head slightly, as if he’s already accepted that he will never get to school on time ever again as long as he’s waiting for Donghyuck. And, in all honesty, Jungwoo thinks Mark would throw out his school record just for Donghyuck if he was asked. Loyal friend to the end.

Jungwoo’s about to offer a drink when he notices Mark rub at his arm with a wince that makes his nose wrinkle. “You okay?”

Mark glances up, startled. “Oh, uh, yeah. Fine.”

“Don’t lie to me.” He snaps his fingers, lips pursed, and waits as Mark puts down his toast, sighs, and shrugs off his uniform jacket before rolling up the sleeve of his sweater. His forearm is wrapped in bandage, blood faintly staining it from the inside out. “What happened?”

Shrugging, Mark rolls down his sleeve and picks up his half-eaten toast again. His brows are furrowed slightly when he says, “I think it was a dog.”

“You think?”

“Well, it was a bit dark,” he admits. “And it was blurry. But it was big and it had teeth, so I just assumed dog, you know?”

No, Jungwoo doesn’t know, but he nods anyway. Perhaps it’s a good thing that Mark couldn’t quite register the animal. If he did get a full view, there was a good chance the wound would be a lot worse than it looks. That was the thing about Mark’s power. The fainter the dream, the better chances he got off with no injures at all. And clearly, this wound wouldn’t be an issue for very much longer. It would disappear like all the rest, sooner or later.

Over the years, Jungwoo has gotten used to Mark coming over with random injuries. The first time, Mark had tumbled into the foyer with a broken ankle and a large bump on his forehead, ugly and red. He had said he rolled down a cliff trying to outrun soldiers. Jungwoo had _so_ many questions. It isn’t often that Mark gets injured, but when he does it’s always from the most random things. Dreams are always strange, unpredictable, and uncharted territories and even a Dream Jumper gets lost.

He breathes out a chuckle and turns to grab his own uniform jacket. “You good to chill out on your own? I need to head into school early.”

Mark nods, mouth full. When he swallows, he says, “Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

On the way past, Jungwoo ruffles Mark’s hair. “Such a good kid. See you guys later then.” When he makes it to the front door, he yells up the stairs. “Don’t make Mark late, brat! I’m heading out!”

Donghyuck comes stumbling out of his room and down the stairs. His hair, lightened to a caramel with pastel streaks—he’s gotten very into hair dye recently—is wet from his shower, his shirt not quite all the way done up. “You aren’t driving us?”

“Take your bike,” Jungwoo says. “And fix your shirt. By the way, Mark is eating your breakfast.”

That makes Donghyuck spin on his heel to rush down the hall to the kitchen. “Get your paws off my food, Canada!”

Laughing, Jungwoo heads out. They can sort out their issues themselves.

By the time Jungwoo’s pulling his jeep into the school parking lot, there’s about half an hour until school starts. So, he spends that time returning the library books he had taken out for his Korean History report, and heads toward his first period class. He isn’t surprised to find the door still locked and his teacher nowhere in sight. He ends up sitting against the wall, watching as the hallways slowly fills with students.

There’s a group of girls down the hall who are giggling over something on one of their phones, and a couple boys are testing the boundaries of the school rules by throwing a basketball over everyone’s heads. One boy let’s out a boisterous laugh, charging through the girls and making them squeal loudly, as he throws up his hands to catch the flying, orange ball. He fumbles backwards, only a few feet in front of Jungwoo, and when he turns, he catches Jungwoo eye.

Now, Jungwoo is tall. He gets it from his father. But this boy is ridiculously big. Maybe a few inches more, but it’s enough to make him feel massive, especially when all his other features seem to be just as big. Even still, he’s proportioned and his face appears so young. He looks even more child-like when he absolutely beams at Jungwoo and Jungwoo, being the socially inept turtle he is, ducks his head as if he can revert into a shell. He can hear the other boys, who had thrown the ball, rush over, their voices mingling together in chaos. With a flurry of quick feet, by the time Jungwoo looks back up, the boy is gone and so are his friends.

He’s about to peer down the hallway to see if he can figure out if they’re part of Mark’s basketball team, when his teacher rounds the corner, keys being dragged from his pocket.

“Ah, Mr. Kim,” his teacher says as he unlocks the door and allows Jungwoo to step inside first. “Always early.”

“Got nowhere else to be, Mr. Lee,” Jungwoo says. He hopes the tone comes off light, joking, but he knows that it probably came out more pitiful than anything else.

It isn’t that Jungwoo dislikes being alone. He doesn’t. It’s useful, considering it gives him more time to study and more time to focus on other things. Still, sometimes those subconscious feelings of missing his friends who have already graduated slip through. At least, he has one more year before he can finally ditch high school and go to university and see his friends a bit more.

“Actually, you’re just the person I wanted to talk to.” Mr. Lee places his briefcase on the desk and pops it open. He’s unloading a stack of papers and Jungwoo is pretty sure it’s a pop-quiz.

Dropping into his usual, front row seat, Jungwoo asks, “What did you need to talk about?”

It sounds odd, but Jungwoo is used to his teachers asking things of him. Help with the school festivals. Help setting up for assemblies. Help marking. Help at the library during exam season. He always says yes because, well, what else does he have to do? And the teachers clearly see that. He’s one of their top students and he doesn’t have any friends to distract him from important projects. He’s the perfect target.

Mr. Lee leans forward on the desk, head tilted. His black hair is graying at the sides and Jungwoo kind of feels bad for him. He’s only in his late thirties and he’s already going silver. Such is the life of a teacher, he supposes. “How do you feel about tutoring?”

“I don’t know, sir. Never really thought about it.”

Nodding, Mr. Lee moves so he can lean against the side of the desk. “There’s a boy—year younger than you—and he’s struggling. He’s bright. All his teachers know he is. He just doesn’t know how to apply. Plus, he’s on the basketball team. If his grades start to slip, he can’t play. Normally, I wouldn’t care so much about it, but he clearly wants to do something with his life.”

“Play basketball professionally?” Jungwoo asks, smiling slightly.

“No, actually. He expressed interested in kinesiology to his science teacher.” That stuns Jungwoo. “Yeah, that’s the face I made. He’s about to fail my course. And a few others. I think you could help him.”

“I doubt if he can’t learn from you, he definitely can’t learn from me,” Jungwoo says. “I don’t know how I would be able to help him at all.”

“Like I said, he’s bright. He just can’t focus and apply himself. You, however, know how to do that extremely well. And you’re around his age. He may learn much easier from a peer. I would just hate to see someone who could possibly do incredibly well flunk out. I’m trying to exhaust my options.”

Jungwoo bites his lip. He’s never tutored before. Well, he’s helped Donghyuck with his homework, but that had stopped a couple years ago because, believe it or not, Donghyuck was a lot smarter than he liked to let on.

“I can try, sir,” he says. “I can’t promise I’ll be that good of a teacher, though. Is it just this class?”

At that, Mr. Lee grimaces. He reaches behind him and grabs a sheet of paper from his desk. Jungwoo takes it from him, letting his eyes run down the list. Each word has his eyebrows lifting higher and higher.

“Sir, these are all the required courses.”

“I’m aware, Jungwoo.”

“Oh, well, as long as you know,” he replies meekly. Then he looks up at his teacher with wide eyes. “He’s failing all of them?”

“Failing, or almost, yes.”

Okay, Jungwoo thinks as he glances at the page again, he can do this. How hard could it be?

“Who is the student?”

“Yukhei Wong.” Mr. Lee notices Jungwoo frown at the name and clarifies, “He goes by Lucas a lot of the time. Point guard on the basketball team. He really isn’t ringing any bells, is he?”

Jungwoo shakes his head. “Not at all, sir.”

“You know, I say this out of care for my best student,” Mr. Lee tightens his lips as if he’s trying not to smile, “Jungwoo, you really need to get out more. I know you care a lot about your school work, and as a teacher I appreciate it, but you’re still a kid. Enjoy life. Get out there and do things.”

His stomach churns. It’s an unsettling feeling and Jungwoo shifts in his chair trying to distract himself from it. Mr. Lee finally smiles at him and moves towards his briefcase again. He doesn’t comment on Jungwoo’s silence and, instead, gives Jungwoo Lucas’ schedule and tells him Lucas will have a test in a couple weeks. It’s up to Jungwoo to contact him.

All Jungwoo can do is nod. When the bell finally rings, he slips the schedule between his note books and focuses on the blackboard. Right now, he has to focus.

*

Jungwoo has always wanted a job. A proper part-time job at some horribly busy retail store or a hole-in-the-wall café. Something to make him feel like he’s doing something in his life other than studying. His parents, however, have never allowed him to do that. They always claim it’s because they love him and want to support him one hundred percent of the way, but Jungwoo has a sneaking suspicion that they help him out so that they have something to use against him if he ever wants to leave them. They’re still trying to pay for all of his tuition when he finally heads off to university.

It’s like pulling teeth when he finally begs them to let him babysit the boy across the street. It’s the only way to get away for a little while. To breathe. He even takes Donghyuck with him because there’s no way he’ll allow his parents around Donghyuck without him there if he can help it.

Jisung is a sweet kid, Jungwoo thinks as he watches him and Donghyuck fight over the console controller. He’s quiet for the most part, but Donghyuck tends to bring out the wild in people and Jungwoo can definitely see that in the twelve-year-old’s face every time they come over. Sometimes, when he’s silent, focusing on his worksheets, he reminds Jungwoo of how Donghyuck used to be. Jungwoo’s grown a bit fond of him.

Mark, who’s sitting on the couch behind them, reaches between the two wrestling boys and plucks the controller from their hands, muttering something about focusing on the actual game. Donghyuck scrunches his nose and leans forward to grab the other free controller while Mark hands the favourite one to Jisung.

Jungwoo shakes his head at them all, turning back to his homework. He eyes the equation with his pencil between his teeth. His mother hates how he chews on his pencils. She likes to remind him that she paid for his teeth so he should take better care of them. Just another thing to hang over his head.

If it took this long to let him babysit, to break away from his parents for three hours every other day, he isn’t sure how his parents will like the fact that he’s tutoring. He’s going to be paid. Mr. Lee has said as much. Perhaps he could simply leave that part out. Maybe he could even pretend he’s at the library studying. Then again, his mother doesn’t like that either. Jungwoo has to be home. He has to be where she’s dictated.

Sighing, he fills out the question and closes the textbook to move onto the rest. He knows Jisung’s finished his work already. It sits at the end of the kitchen island, waiting for his parents to check over before school tomorrow. Mark’s always been prompt. There’s no way he hasn’t done his work yet. Donghyuck, on the other hand, hasn’t touched his yet.

It’s odd because he used to do it as soon as he got home. As if he had something to prove. Nowadays, it sits in his backpack untouched. Teenage rebellion, Jungwoo supposes. He’s never gone through that, but if anyone were to, it would be Donghyuck for sure.

Even still, he straightens and calls out from the dining table. “Donghyuck, you need to do your homework.”

Donghyuck doesn’t even turn around. He’s hunched over, controller in his lap, as he stares intently on the screen. His kart swerves on the television and he shoots out a red shell, whooping when it smacks right into Jisung’s motorcycle.

“I don’t have any,” he answers, tilting his body with the kart.

Jungwoo raises a brow. “Oh, really? Mark, is that true?”

Mark’s not even in Donghyuck’s grade, but if anyone has tabs on Donghyuck’s every move it’s Mark. The boy’s eyes flick to Jungwoo, hesitant, and when Donghyuck catches Mark’s eye, Donghyuck shakes his head ever so slightly. Mark shakes his head with him. It’s very unconvincing.

“Get your butt over here and do your homework,” Jungwoo says, pointedly.

“But the race!”

“Mark can finish it for you.”

Even though he scoffs, Donghyuck is already getting to his feet and tossing the controller at Mark, who catches it easily. “Please, as if Mark could actually win a race.”

“Hey! I can win just fine,” Mark protests.

Donghyuck pats him on the head, mockingly. “Whatever you say, Canada.” He takes a seat at the table and pulls his notebooks from his backpack with a wrinkled brow. “I hate homework.”

“You’re going to hate failing school if you don’t do your work,” says Jungwoo.

Tires against pavement and the jingle of the finished laps fill the room. Jungwoo keeps looking up from his work to check on Jisung. He’s focused on the television, occasionally shoving at Mark to cheat his way to a win. Mark takes it all in stride. When he wins, he turns around to shout it out to Donghyuck, who only shakes his head with an easy laugh.

Jungwoo isn’t sure how he’s going to handle tutoring on top of this. He has days to work with, for sure, but usually when he’s not babysitting, he’s at home studying, keeping on top of everything and catching up on what he can’t do when he’s watching Jisung.

Frowning, Jungwoo bites his lip and stares down at his work. There’s still so much to do. He’s really hoping that tutoring won’t get in the way.

“What’s wrong?” Donghyuck asks. He’s frowning, his fringe swinging when he weighs his head to the side. “You’ve been eyeballing that question for five minutes now.”

Jungwoo leans back in the chair. “Just thinking.” Mark let’s out a loud laugh and Jisung uses all the strength in his small, thin arms to push him to the floor. “Hey, Mark?”

With Jisung currently on top of him, Mark tilts his head back to look at Jungwoo. “Yeah?”

“Do you know a Yukhei Wong?”

Jisung huffs when Mark practically lifts him off to place him back on the carpet. “Lucas?”

“Yeah, Lucas.”

“He’s on the basketball team with me,” Mark tells him.

Donghyuck turns in his chair. “Isn’t he the really tall one?”

“Yep, that would be Lucas. What about him, Woo?”

Jungwoo finds himself shaking his head. “No reason. I’m supposed to tutor him.”

“You’re his new tutor?” Mark asks, pointing at him. “Well, at least he might actually pass then. He’s been practically in tears because he’s convinced he’s going to fail all his classes.”

“He’s certainly not doing well,” Jungwoo supplies. “Do you think he’ll be difficult?”

“Lucas? No way.” Mark’s tone is very firm, very solid, and a small sense of relief settles into Jungwoo’s shoulders. “He’s eager. I mean, he’s hyperactive and not always the brightest lightbulb, but he wants to do better and that’ll make your job easier, I would think.”

At least, it isn’t sounding like he would be struggling and that Lucas would be a pain to teach.

Jisung’s parents come home about an hour later. Mark’s ride is already at the curb when they leave the house, and Jungwoo and Donghyuck jog across the street. The lights from the television are bleeding through the living room archway to the hallway. By the sounds of voices, both of Jungwoo’s parents are home.

“Jungwoo?” calls his mother.

“Yeah, we’re back,” he replies.

Donghyuck is the first to disappear upstairs. It may have been years since he moved in, but Jungwoo’s parents still haven’t fully welcomed Donghyuck and sometimes it’s just easier to keep them at a distance.

Jungwoo kicks off his shoes and sets them with the others. He’s about to pick up his bag to trudge upstairs when he catches his mother’s voice. It’s low, as if she hadn’t been meant to be heard, but the television’s volume dips at just the right time and her voice carries to the foyer.

“They’ll start rebuilding on Monday.”

Carefully, Jungwoo moves closer. There’s something in his mother’s tone that feels misplaced. No, that’s not right. Tight, maybe. As if the words are vinegar on her tongue.

“We shouldn’t have waited this long,” Jungwoo’s dad replies. “Would have been easier if we did it sooner.”

“I wasn’t ready,” Liu Wen mutters. It’s getting harder to hear her now that the volume has resumed its previous level, so Jungwoo presses his body closer to the wall. “I had to wait.”

There’s shuffling, almost like Siwon’s moved on the couch. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it that way. I know why you waited. This will be good for us. We’ll get it rebuilt, sell it off. Lord knows, we can get that stress off our shoulders.”

“I know. I know.”

Jungwoo looks up at the ceiling and takes in a deep breath. He knows exactly what they’re talking about.

It’s been three years, but the lot of his aunt and uncle has remained untouched for so long. He’s pretty sure his mother hasn’t even seen it since the night of their death. It sits idle in the back of all their minds, time ticking by with no effort to continue forward.

His parents are going to rebuild the house and sell it. Donghyuck’s home. Or, what used to be his home. It will be completely gone and erased from their lives.

Jungwoo closes his eyes. He knew it was going to happen. It was inevitable, the next logical step in development, but that doesn’t make it any easier, and he’s sure that when Donghyuck finds out, he isn’t going to take it well.

When his parents finally fall quiet, the only sound being from the television, he picks up his bag and makes his way up the stairs. He pauses when he spots Donghyuck sitting at the top. His expression is unreadable, his hands fiddling with the ends of his sleeves. Jungwoo catches his gaze and he doesn’t know what to say.

“Did you…” his voice trails off, hesitant.

Donghyuck straightens and starts to stand. “I’m fine.”

Taking a step, he says, “Donghyuck, if you need to—”

“I’m fine, Jungwoo.”

He flinches when the door to Donghyuck’s room closes. It’s not a slam. It’s not even heavy. It’s a light click, but the sound shatters through the noiseless hallway. Jungwoo ascends the rest of the way and heads into his own room.

Donghyuck’s not going to want to talk for a while. He usually likes to sit on his thoughts for a bit before saying anything, or simply moving on from the whole thing without issue. Jungwoo hopes he’ll take the former side this time. This is something to talk about, not ignore. Not to joke through.

Jungwoo wishes he could make it easier. He wishes he could take everything bad that’s happened in Donghyuck’s life and twist it into something beautiful and happy. But he can’t. He has no means to. So, he settles in taking out the rest of his homework and focusing on that. Because if there’s one thing he can do, it’s make something of himself in order to make something of Donghyuck.

At least, he hopes so.

*

Jungwoo isn’t sure what he expects from Lucas. He’s been told he’s a little excitable, but eager. He’s failing all of his classes, but he has a brain. It’s the kind of juxtaposition that makes Jungwoo’s head spin with all kinds of theorized situations. Still, here he is, Tuesday morning, with his cell in his hand, waiting for Lucas to text him back. Mark had been so kind of pass on his number.

There’s no reason for him to be nervous. Logically speaking, he’s not the one on the line if something goes wrong. He simply said yes to a job, which he’s so clearly stated may or may not turn out. If anyone should be nervous, it’s Lucas.

Even still, the butterflies in his stomach won’t settle their wings and Jungwoo is hoping that the toast he had for breakfast won’t be revisiting him with revenge any time soon. And when his phone finally buzzes, he doesn’t jump a foot into the air out of fright. He doesn’t.

His fingers shake as he opens the message.

**Wong Yukhei/Lucas:**

_HEY DUDE!_

_Sorry lol cap locks_

_Anywhooo yah im up to meet_

_When and where man?_

Jungwoo internally cringes—and perhaps outwardly cringes—at the formulation of the texts, but still manages to let Lucas know he can meet up after school today or after school Thursday since those are the only days he doesn’t babysit Jisung. He’s sort of hoping that Lucas will pick Thursday and give Jungwoo just a bit more time to ready himself for meeting a stranger. Even if said stranger seems to be overly friendly.

Luckily, Lucas chooses Thursday and Jungwoo can’t be more relieved. And even though he knows he’ll meet Lucas in two days, he still finds himself subconsciously watching the basketball team whenever they’re in the halls with him, just to see if he can spot him. Of course, it’s fruitless. Jungwoo isn’t close enough to hear what they’re saying and he has no idea what Lucas actually looks like. He just knows he’s tall, which, when looking at the team, kind of includes most of the members.

Come Wednesday, Jungwoo can start to feel his nerves doing that tightening thing they like to do when he’s feeling incredibly uncomfortable about a situation. It’s annoying and distracting and all he wants to do is have a nice time with his friends without thinking about his impending doom.

“You’re not even listening to me, are you?”

Jungwoo’s head snaps up from his lemonade to Johnny. He’s sitting across the table with his own glass of iced tea with a raised brow and his eyes twinkling with something Jungwoo thinks is amusement. His brown hair is a bit of a mess and Jungwoo knows it’s because he’s just woken up from a nap and just doesn’t have the patience to tame it.

They’re at Taeyong’s apartment, which he shares with Johnny and Doyoung. Kun, who lives in the apartment above them, is spread out along the couch with his head pillowed in Doyoung’s lap while he reads one of his medical textbooks. One filled with too many words that Jungwoo can’t pronounce and that gives him a headache each time he looks at it. Doyoung’s found a soap opera on one of the preprogrammed channels. It’s awful and sappy and badly acted, but Jungwoo supposes it’s kind of like a train wreck and Doyoung just can’t turn away at this point.

Clearing his throat, Jungwoo straightens and says, “Sorry. I’m listening. Promise.”

Right at that moment, Taeyong comes out of the kitchen, arms lined with plates of food, and starts to place them along the table’s surface. His blue hair is still vibrant and Jungwoo knows that the only reason Donghyuck got into dying his hair is because of Taeyong’s influence. Still, he’d rather hair dye than tattoos and body piercings. At least until he’s an adult. An old adult.

“He’s not,” Taeyong tells him. “You’re going to have to repeat.”

“Oh, please don’t,” Doyoung says from the couch. “It’s so boring.”

Johnny frowns. “To you! Jungwoo hasn’t heard the story yet.”

“Let’s pretend he has and move on.”

When Johnny pouts, Taeyong pats him on the head. “We should eat. Kun, put down your work and come eat.”

Kun peeks over his textbook. “I just want to finish this chapter.”

“Well, move then,” Doyoung says. He lifts Kun’s head, gets up, and drops his head onto the couch with a soft thud. “I want food.”

“Rude.” Kun rubs at his head, but otherwise goes back to his book.

Taeyong shakes his head at both of them. He takes the seat beside Jungwoo and hands him a pair of chopsticks with a smile. “How’s school?”

“As if you need to ask,” Jungwoo tells him. “You can just search my mind and find out.”

Taeyong makes a face, one that scrunches up his nose and furrows his brows. “You know I like to hear it from you.”

“Taeyong, the ever-knowing without actually telling anyone anything he knows,” says Johnny. He snorts into his food. “You know, life would be so much easier if you just shared.”

“Life would be more complicated.” He points at Johnny’s plate. “Eat.”

Jungwoo smiles. He misses them. Sure, they make time out of their schedules to meet up—Wednesday nights after Jungwoo is done babysitting—but it’s not the same. He misses seeing them in the hall. Having people to talk to at lunch. Johnny, Taeyong, and Doyoung are all older by three years and Kun by two. They’ve never shared classes, but they still went to school with each other, studied with each other, ate together. Jungwoo knows that Donghyuck and Mark are now within the halls, but Mark spends his time with the basketball team or with Donghyuck and their other friends. It feels odd to join them when he’s always been just outside their circle and never in it.

“So, are you going to tell us what’s happening?” Johnny asks, snapping Jungwoo from his thoughts.

Doyoung snorts. “Yeah, anything change from the last week we saw you?”

“A lot can happen in a week,” argues Johnny and Doyoung simply shrugs. “Woo?”

“Um,” he sits back in his seat, poking at his food, “Mr. Lee’s asked me to tutor one of the kids in the grade below me. He’s failing pretty hard right now. And he can’t play unless he gets his grades up.”

“Play?”

“Oh, yeah. He plays basketball with Mark,” Jungwoo elaborates. “I haven’t met him yet, but everyone says he’s got potential or whatever. I guess we’ll see.”

Reaching across the table for the salt, Doyoung says, “Potential in basketball? Are you only tutoring this kid to help the school’s athletic program or something?”

Jungwoo shakes his head. “No. I mean, kind of, but that’s not why Mr. Lee asked. He said that Lucas—that’s the kid—wants to go into kinesiology and he just has a hard time with focusing and stuff. So, I guess I’m just there to help out where I can. I’m sure having a good, functioning basketball team in return is a nice bonus.”

“I think this is a good thing,” says Taeyong, his lips curling into a soft smile. “It’ll give you the opportunity to meet new people.”

“I don’t want to meet new people,” Jungwoo admits.

He knows that, if he tried, he could make more friends closer to his age. He’s not terrible company. If he was, none of his friends would have stuck around. And from what he can gather, he can be pretty funny. Mostly when he doesn’t want to be. Still, there’s that slight inkling that sticks to the back of his mind that constantly tells him he doesn’t need anyone else. He has the people he has and he’s content. He doesn’t need to expand and welcome more people. They’d just end up being a distraction in the end.

Because, when it comes down to it, Jungwoo has a plan and everyone fits their spot just right. Adding more people would just complicate things.

He isn’t looking forward to meeting Lucas, even when everyone has told him Lucas is friendly and welcoming and, probably, overall a nice person. The problem with that is that Jungwoo doesn’t want Lucas to stick around. Friendly people tend to think they can walk into people’s lives all the time because, well, people will accept them. Because they’re nice and why would you turn them away? You’re bound to like them back.

Jungwoo doesn’t handle complication well. He doesn’t handle new people well. Or new situations. Or just change in general. He likes things to stay as they are.

Why did things suddenly get so nerve-wracking?

A hand lowers onto his and Jungwoo looks up to see Taeyong smiling at him. “It’ll work out,” is all he says before letting go and turning back to his food, back to the bickering conversation between Johnny and Doyoung while Kun finally takes a seat at the table.

The thing is, even if Jungwoo is wary, it won’t change anything. He’s made a promise to Mr. Lee and even to Lucas and if there’s anything Jungwoo does, it’s keep a promise. So, he decides to not think about it anymore. He tunes back into the conversation, laughing when Doyoung mesmerizes Johnny into giving him the last egg roll, and ignores the impending complication that’s about to fall into his lap tomorrow afternoon.

Because, in the end, that’s all he can do about it.

*

Jungwoo knows he shouldn’t be so nervous. He’s been telling himself all day. Lucas has been texting him randomly throughout the day and Jungwoo isn’t sure if this is a good sign or a bad one, especially when he receives a few in the middle of his class. His phone buzzes against his thigh over and over again and when he finally checks it when the bell rings to signal for lunch, he finds several messages.

**Wong Yukhei/Lucas:**

_Right. C U l8r!!!_

_Library right??_

_On the 2 floor??_

_I swear ik where it is…._

_I’ll ask mark_

_Mark is laughing at me_

_Dude. I’m gonna need some1 to show me where the library is_

_Mark is gonna show me_

_All good!!_

_C U!!_

Jungwoo sighs and pockets his phone without answering. Honestly, if Lucas can’t even find the library then maybe this wasn’t going to go as smoothly as people kept telling him. Right now, Lucas was doing nothing to ease his nerves.

Donghyuck and his friends are at Jungwoo’s locker when he makes it there. They’re talking animatedly to each other, Donghyuck’s hands moving in a flurry. Mark is shaking his head, a smile tugging at his lips. It seems like the only one really responding is Jaemin, but that doesn’t surprise Jungwoo at all. Jaemin and Donghyuck have always had a unique friendship. As much as Jaemin is generally a good boy, Donghyuck tends to bring out the chaos in Jaemin when the two of them are together. Perhaps it was a good thing Mark, Jeno, and Renjun were around to keep things decently under control.

As Jungwoo draws closer, he asks, “What are you doing?”

Spinning around, Donghyuck positively beams. He rests a hand on the lockers and leans into it. “Hello, cousin. Wonderful, amazing cousin.”

“No.”

Donghyuck’s jaw drops. “No? What do you mean ‘no’?”

“I know that tone.” Jungwoo opens his locker and places his textbooks inside. Grabbing his lunch, he adds, “Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no.”

“I was just wondering if you could give me a ride to the mall later,” Donghyuck says with a tilt of his head, pastel streaked hair flopping to the side.

Making sure he has his notebook, Jungwoo shuts the door with a click. “I would, but I’m tutoring after school, remember?”

He starts down the hallways toward the stairs, hoping to grab a back table in the library before they’re all taken. Donghyuck and his friends trail along behind him.

“Oh, right. I forgot. What about tomorrow?”

“Babysitting,” Jungwoo reminds him.

“I mean before you babysit. And then maybe come get me when you’re done? Please?”

Jungwoo sighs, stopping on the stairs. “What’s wrong with your bike?”

“Nothing is wrong with my bike.”

If Jungwoo didn’t know Donghyuck any better, he would have fallen for that. He would have taken Donghyuck’s well-schooled expression and simply nodded along. Except, he does know Donghyuck and the way the words come out a little faster than they probably should makes him wary.

He knows if he asks then Donghyuck will deflect, so, instead, he turns to the group behind him. Mark keeps his eye on Donghyuck for a moment before catching Jungwoo’s gaze and flinches, head turning away. Jeno and Jaemin are simply passing glances between each other as if they’re having a mental conversation. Renjun is the one that keeps eye contact.

“What happened to his bike?” Jungwoo asks.

Donghyuck twists on his friends, probably to glare them all into silence. Unfortunately, Renjun isn’t that intimidated and simply says, “He melted the handles.”

“Renjun Huang!” Donghyuck hisses.

“And the chain,” Jaemin adds, helpfully.

“I’m going to melt the both of you next.”

The threat falls short, however, when Jungwoo places a hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder to turn him around. Contrary to a lot of beliefs, Donghyuck isn’t naturally destructive. He just can’t control his emotions. And, unluckily, that generally means a lot of things being scorched or turned into scolding puddles.

Donghyuck ducks his head down and Jungwoo can’t help but think back to that eleven-year-old boy that showed up on his doorstep, believing he’s nothing but trouble.

“We’ll fix your bike.” Donghyuck’s head snaps up, eyes round. Jungwoo shrugs and says, “And I guess I can drive you to the mall tomorrow. But try to keep your flames at bay, okay? We can’t keep fixing your bike every time your friends beat you in a race or something. Now, go eat lunch. I have work to do. I’ll see you at home.”

He leaves the group at the bottom of the staircase as he heads up to the library. He finds the back table, off in the far corner where he can hardly see the entrance and no one will find him unless they’re searching. He eats his lunch in the silence, aimlessly flicking through his notebook.

Voices float across the library from the entrance and Jungwoo, usually not one for eavesdropping, peeks around one of the bookshelves. They’re just so loud. Louder than anyone should be in a library. Jungwoo wonders if they’re lost.

A varsity jacket and orange basketball catch his eye by the front desk and Jungwoo decides that, yes, they are indeed lost. He can’t quite see their faces. The school activity sign is blocking the way, but Jungwoo can tell there are two of them. One is tall and the other reaches the first boy’s shoulder. They’re talking without a care to the obvious volume rules of the library. They garner a few more stares. Jungwoo kind of feels embarrassed for them.

“And this,” one boy says, “is the library.”

“Thank you. I can see that.” The voice that answers is relatively lowered in volume, but the deep hiss carries without a care and Jungwoo can’t help but shudder. No one’s voice should be that nice to listen to.

Jungwoo can’t hear the reply, but the boys are laughing and then it’s fading and Jungwoo realizes they’re walking away, out of the library. Frowning, he sits back in his seat. That was…Well, that was odd.

He rolls his eyes to his notebook and glares at it. He should be studying, but nothing wants to stick and all he wants to do is take a nap. Still, he promised his parents he would pass his exams with all As and he’s never one to drop a promise, so—with that little reminder—he picks himself up and focuses.

He goes to the rest of his classes, but by the time the final bell has gone and the majority of the students have dispersed from the halls, Jungwoo is right back in his seat in the library. He’s got all his things with him. He gets out all the workbooks because he’s not entirely sure what he’ll need for the upcoming tutor session.

His nerves are pulled tightly and he bites his lip. He hopes this won’t go wrong. He really does.

His phone buzzes noisily against the surface of the desk and the neighboring student shoots him a glower, so Jungwoo is quick to swipe it up.

 **Taeyong** :

_Breathe, Jungwoo. It’ll be fine._

Jungwoo smiles at the text. Leave it to Taeyong to hear his thoughts even from across town. Just how loud was he thinking?

Another buzz.

 **Taeyong** :

_Loud._

That elicits a small snort. Jungwoo peeks at the student at the desk beside him, but they aren’t looking anymore.

The interesting thing about Taeyong is that the closer he is with someone, the more likely he can hear them over everyone else’s thoughts in the city. Despite distance. Sure, there was a cap to his radar. However, they’ve never been outside it. It’s common, Jungwoo thinks as he lowers his phone to silent, to get random messages from Taeyong like this. Sometimes it looks like he’s having a one-sided conversation in their chats. It’s entertaining.

Jungwoo is about to put down his phone when the screen lights up. The name sends his heart pounding.

**Wong Yukhei/Lucas:**

_Wru??_

_I found the library!_

Jungwoo quickly types back where he’s located and waits. A crack of a whip nearly startles him out of his chair. Except, there’s no whip. Just the sound. And now there’s a very tall, very handsome boy in the chair across from him and Jungwoo isn’t sure if the boy is actually there or if he’s accidentally fallen asleep while studying.

“Hey, I’m Lucas. You must be Jungwoo?” the boy—Lucas—says, beaming widely and, _wow_ , he’s got a nice smile.

Jungwoo, a little speechless, lifts his hand to shake Lucas’ outstretched one. Now, as Jungwoo has said before, he’s not all that tiny, but when he places his hand in Lucas’ he can’t help but feel small. Lucas’ hand practically swallowed his own. When he tears his eyes away from their hands, to get a better look at Lucas’ face, he realizes why he looked so familiar. Lucas is the same boy he saw in the hallway days ago, the one that had smiled at him.

When he notices he’s been holding Lucas’ hand for too long, he wrenches his hand back and tucks it under his leg. He isn’t completely sure, but there’s a solid chance his ears are red judging by the warmth he felt along the curve of them. He isn’t used to people smiling so brightly, so unrestrictedly. Lucas’ face is so open and Jungwoo isn’t sure how to handle that.

“Right?” asks Lucas as he places his chin in his hand and stares Jungwoo down. His hair is light brown, much like Jungwoo’s own, but it sweeps in front of his forehead like Justin Bieber’s or something. There’s an underlining urge to lean over and run his fingers through the fringe, to mess it up, because no one should have that hair style in this decade. And it definitely shouldn’t look good.

Jungwoo forces himself to swallow, to wet his dry throat, and say, “Uh, yeah. I am.”

“Oh, good!”

Jungwoo jumps. Well, there’s that then. Lucas is loud. Maybe not on purpose. Perhaps it’s just the bass of his voice that seems boomingly loud. Even still, he has to shush Lucas, eyes flicking about the library to make sure no one has been disrupted.

Lucas’ smile turns sheepish. Rightfully so. “Sorry. I forget sometimes.”

“Um, how did you—where did you—” He gestures to Lucas and where he sits.

“Oh! I teleport,” Lucas explains. There’s a loud crack and he’s gone, only for Jungwoo to twist in his seat and find him sitting beside him. With a wave, he reappears back on the other side of the table. “I have to tell you, while my marks aren’t great, my punctuality is spot on.”

The corners of Jungwoo’s lips twitch. He clears his throat and glances down at the pile of workbooks and textbooks he’s gathered around himself. “So, um, I don’t know what you’ve been told, but I was asked to help you, but I don’t know what you know or, I guess, don’t know? I just brought everything I had from last year. Do you, uh—what exactly do you need help with?”

“Everything,” Lucas states, unabashed.

Oh, well, that’s a start, he supposes.

“Right. Okay then.” Jungwoo reaches over to pull a sheet of paper from between two textbooks and gives it a scan. “You have a test next Friday in Math, so why don’t we start with that and see where we need to go from there. How long do you want to study for?”

“Honestly, I would like to not study at all,” Lucas admits with a laugh. When Jungwoo simply raises a brow, Lucas’ smile turns shy. “Um, couple hours? I probably shouldn’t be out too late and I doubt you want to stay longer than that.”

Jungwoo wouldn’t like to be here at all, yet here he is.

“You’re Donghyuck’s cousin, right?” Lucas asks while Jungwoo brings out his math books and watches as Lucas reaches into his backpack to pull out a pen and notebook. At least he brought supplies with him.

Nodding, he says, “I am. Lesson one?”

“What?” His eyes flick to Jungwoo’s hand—the one that’s pointing at the words ‘Lesson One’ at the top of the textbook page—and says, “Oh, yeah. And that’s cool.”

Jungwoo doesn’t know what to say to that, so he goes to read out the introduction, hoping that it’ll fill the awkwardness that seems to wrap around him like a blanket. It’s suffocating. He really wishes Lucas would stop trying to get to know him and focus on why he’s here. To learn. To not fail.

But before the words can come out, Lucas says, “He mentions you a lot.”

Jungwoo’s mouth snaps closed and he finds himself staring at Lucas. He’s already leaning forward on the table, his long body practically covering the whole surface as he eyes the textbook Jungwoo has turned toward him.

“He does?” Jungwoo manages, voice barely a whisper. Jungwoo knows he talks about Donghyuck a lot to his friends. They’re always asking about him and Jungwoo is always willing to share what his baby cousin’s been up to because, honestly, he’s a lot more interesting than Jungwoo is. But he never thought Donghyuck would talk about him.

Dark eyes lift to his and a slow smile spreads across Lucas’ face. “Yeah, of course. Dude, he, like, idolizes you or whatever.” In an instant, the smile drops and his large eyes widen. “Oh, shit. I wasn’t supposed to tell you that. Uh, forget that. He just speaks highly of you. Never mentioned you were cute, though.”

It’s not just Jungwoo’s ears that are warm now. His neck to his cheeks are feeling it, too, and, _my god_ , it should not be this warm in an A/C filled library. Jungwoo forces himself to look at the textbook and ignore the last comment because he does _not_ have time for this.

“We—” His voice cracks embarrassingly and he clears his throat loudly. “We should start. Is it better for you to read and then ask questions or do you want me to read?”

“Can you?”

Jungwoo nods, glad to have moved onto why he’s really here. “Okay, so…”

Despite Jungwoo’s constant worry that something would go wrong, the lesson goes by fairly smoothly. Just like everyone had mentioned, Lucas is indeed relatively bright. He’s not the slowest learner, nor the fastest, but he gets there after a few tries and Jungwoo really wonders how the boy is failing. He thinks that perhaps Lucas simply learns better in a one-to-one environment. Still, something about that doesn’t sit quite right.

He spends most of his time reading out the questions, correcting mistakes, and trying to convince himself that Lucas’ thinking face isn’t cute. He wrinkles his nose, furrows his brow a little, and sometimes he leans in so close to the paper that his nose brushes it. The visual is endearing. It’s especially charming when Lucas gets something right and lets out a whoop, gaining a glare from the students around them, and then him apologizing profusely with that dopey smile of his.

Embarrassing, but charming.

Jungwoo hates that he feels that way.

By the time two hours hits, they’ve made it through Lesson One and part of Lesson Two and the beginnings of Science since that will be his next test. Jungwoo briefly wonders if they should extend the time to learn more, but he thinks he’ll wait until next time to suggest that. So, he and Lucas pack up their things and head out of the library.

They’re making their way down the stairs when Lucas speaks up again. He’s grinning again and Jungwoo has to look away. It’s just so bright. Blinding even.

“I just wanted to say thank you. For doing this for me. You really didn’t need to.”

Jungwoo rubs at his nose. “It’s not a big deal. It’s good to refresh anyway.”

“Refresh last year’s material?” teases Lucas and Jungwoo purses his lips. “Honestly, though, you didn’t need to do this and I appreciate it. I’m not…” His voice trails off and they slow to a stop in the middle of the hallway, heading toward the parking lot. For once, Lucas doesn’t look determined or happy. He looks awkward, long fingers playing with the straps of his backpack. Sighing, he looks up at Jungwoo and says, “I know I’m not the smartest guy out there. I’m the typical jock, huh? Failing at everything academic. Too dumb. I’m just glad to have a chance, you know? To kind of prove it wrong.”

The hall is quiet. There’s no one around and Jungwoo becomes increasingly aware of this as they stand there, facing each other, Lucas’ words hanging around them. Jungwoo worries at his bottom lip, unsure of what to say.

Perhaps he’s waited too long, however, because Lucas smiles—forcedly, Jungwoo notes because even though he hasn’t known this boy for less than three hours, he can still distinguish what’s real and what’s not somehow—and continues, “Sorry. I know I can talk a lot and not a lot of people want to hear the things I say and I get kind of ramble-y and—”

“People don’t think that,” Jungwoo blurts, halting Lucas’ words. He quickly backpedals when Lucas simply blinks at him. “I mean, the people I talked to don’t think you’re dumb. They think you have a lot of potential, actually. Mr. Lee said you just needed a bit of help and, yeah, he’s right. You’re not dumb, Yukhei. You’re actually kind of smart. You learn a lot faster than I thought you would.”

Lucas is quiet, eyes wide and searching. Jungwoo shifts under his gaze.

“You really think that?” comes the timid reply.

Jungwoo nods. “I do. You, uh, surprised me. Which is good. Means our time isn’t wasted. And as long as you’ve learned something by the end of this than that’s all that matters, right?”

“Right.”

“And, I mean, I’m sure there are people out there that probably think all jocks are stupid, but look at Mark. He’s book smart. A top student, actually.” Jungwoo frowns. “Well, I mean, his street smarts leave a lot to be desired, but at least he’s academically there.”

Lucas coughs a laugh. “Okay, you aren’t wrong there.”

“So, see! There are smart jocks and I’ll make sure that you’re one of them, okay? Don’t give up just yet.”

There’s something in Lucas’ gaze that feels warm, yet so heavy. Jungwoo wants to look away. He struggles to. Then, Lucas smiles brightly and, for once, Jungwoo finds himself slowly smiling back. It takes a moment for him to realize that his nerves aren’t as tight as harp strings anymore. They’ve snapped back on him, loosened him a bit. It’s a nice feeling.

“Thanks, Jungwoo,” Lucas says.

Jungwoo knows, he just _knows_ , his ears are red again. He ruffles his hair and turns on his heel to start towards the exit. At the door, he turns around to say something, only to discover Lucas is right behind him. They nearly bump into each other and, _holy_ , how is Lucas so handsome even this close?

Get yourself together, Jungwoo, he berates himself.

He stumbles back a step and then nearly tumbles through the door because he’s a klutz. A hand wraps around his bicep and yanks him back onto his feet. He falls into Lucas’ chest.

“Sorry,” he squeaks and carefully steps back. He pointedly doesn’t look at Lucas’ grin. “Um, I was just going to tell you to make sure you go through the worksheets and have them done by Tuesday. Same time and place.”

“Whatever you say, teach.”

Jungwoo is a hundred percent sure he’s burning red now. Nodding jerkily, he spins on his heel and heads for his jeep. Lucas calls out for him to drive safe and Jungwoo simply raises a hand, not looking back, and climbs into his front seat.

His head immediately finds the steering wheel. It lands hard, however, and a loud horn blows out across the parking lot. He snaps up, startled, and finds Lucas staring at his car—clearly also surprised. Jungwoo can practically hear his laugh as Lucas waves at him one more time and gets into his own truck.

A little more careful than before, he places his head on the steering wheel and breathes. He’s in trouble. He’s in deep, terrible trouble.

His phone buzzes—he had turned it back onto vibrate the moment they left the library—and sighs at the name.

 **Taeyong** :

 _Told you it would be fine_ _😉_

The winky face is unnecessary, he thinks. He leans back in his seat and glares at the message. “Oh, shut up. What do you know?” he asks aloud.

 **Taeyong** :

_More than you._

Jungwoo can’t even argue with that. So, he pockets his phone, makes sure Lucas is sufficiently gone, and starts on his way home.

He wonders if Taeyong can make sense of the mess that is his mind right now because Jungwoo surely can’t. Images of Lucas’ concentrating expression or the way he smiled at Jungwoo in the hallway after their session keeps flashing in his thoughts and Jungwoo really can’t deal with this right now. He has so many other things to be focusing on that he just _can’t_.

Jungwoo isn’t stupid. He knows Lucas is physically his type. Tall, cute yet more on the manly side. He’s well aware of that fact, and he’s even more aware of the fact that Lucas could mentally and emotionally be his type as well, despite the year age gap and only having been with him a couple hours. And, unfortunately, they’ve both agreed to meet after school on both Tuesdays and Thursdays to maximize study time, so now he’s really not sure how he’s going to handle it.

But he’s not going to think about that.

It’s entirely unfair for the world to toss Lucas at him right now.

No, he’s not going to think about it. Not now. Not ever. He’s going to do his job, help Lucas pass, and forget about him once he’s moved off to university.

He pulls into the driveway and shuts off his jeep. Sighing, he presses the heels of his hands to his eyes. The exhaustion is hitting him and he honestly just wants to crawl into bed and not think anymore. Except, he has homework, so he’s going to have to do that first.

Grabbing his bag, he heads for the house. The lights on the porch have turned on and his parent’s car is in the driveway, so he knows they’re home. He wonders if Donghyuck is around and his question is answered when he spots the same runners Donghyuck had been wearing this morning tucked onto the shoe rack with everyone else’s. Jungwoo places his beside them and moves toward the kitchen. He hopes there’s some dinner left over for him.

Sure enough, there’s a container of food in the fridge. He spots his parents, both sitting at the table with a series of papers and magazines surrounding them. There seems to be a large sheet of paper with blueprints and he knows that they’re for the house rebuild.

“How was school?” his mom asks as he places the container into the microwave and turns it on.

Leaning against the counter, he says, “It was fine. Nothing exciting.”

“Studying a lot?”

He nods. “Yeah.”

“Good,” she says with a firm tone. “Because we need you to get into a good university, yeah? Make us proud, Jungwoo.”

“Yeah,” he promises. He shifts and glances toward the microwave, willing it to hurry up. “I will.”

He grabs a glass from the counter, fills it with water, and heads over to the table. His father, who still hasn’t acknowledged him, is nose deep in a magazine filled with flooring types. He seems to have circled a few he likes.

“Is this for Donghyuck’s house?” he inquires.

That gains his dad’s attention. Siwon frowns at him. “It isn’t Donghyuck’s house. It’s not anyone’s house right now. We’re going to rebuild and sell.”

“It’s time,” his mom agrees. “It’s been sitting there for far too long. We can’t keep affording two plots of land, especially if we want to send you off to school.”

“But,” Jungwoo shifts again. The microwave dings. “Wasn’t all this left to Donghyuck? Should he not be getting the money?”

Siwon and Liu Wen exchange a look. He’s not sure what he’s reading there, but an unsettling feeling curls in his stomach.

“Donghyuck,” Liu Wen says, slowly, though she’s taken a particularly bitter tone to her voice, “is too young to claim anything. It’s in the hands of us, as his guardians. Besides, I doubt he’ll want the house. Not after what he’s done there.”

“Shouldn’t you at least ask him what he wants? He has a right.”

“He has no right!” Jungwoo flinches at the sharp sound of his mother’s voice, the way it snaps off all the walls and straight into his ears. Her fists are tight, her eyes steel. “I don’t care what he has to say. He has no right to decide anything about my sister’s belongings, house included. She was _my_ sister. Now,” she takes a deep breath, “don’t you need to study?”

The microwave beeps again. Jungwoo steps away and places his glass on the counter to pull out his food. He’s about to grab a fork and leave when a ringing echoes about the room. It’s his mother’s phone, plugged into the wall for charging. Liu Wen is already on her feet when he takes a peek.

His blood runs cold. “Mom,” he says as she picks up the phone and quickly shuts off the screen, “why is social services calling?”

Silence.

It’s painful.

Now, it isn’t abnormal for social services to call. They used to call once a week when Donghyuck first moved in, and then it became once a month, and then every two, always on the first of the month. But it’s not the first of the month and they called just weeks earlier, so it doesn’t make sense why they would be calling now.

Jungwoo really hopes that it’s not what he’s thinking it is.

“We’ve been talking,” Liu Wen says, “and we think that Donghyuck shouldn’t stay with us anymore.”

Jungwoo’s eyes snap to his father, who isn’t listening anymore, and then back to his mother. “What are you talking about? Where else is he going to go?”

“Into the system,” says Liu Wen, simply. Her shoulders lift delicately. “I don’t know, but he won’t be here.”

“Why? Mom, you can’t just throw him out.”

“He can’t stay here,” Liu Wen snaps and Jungwoo feels like he’s been slapped. “Three years, Jungwoo. We kept him for three years. That’s more than I wanted in the first place. I never wanted him here. Your father doesn’t want him here. The only reason we agreed was because you fought for him, but you need to realize that you have to focus less on that boy and more on your life. Who cares about what happens to Donghyuck?”

“I do,” he argues, tone teetering on hysteric. “I care about him. You can’t just throw him away. Can you even image what that could do to him? He lost his parents, his home. He knows you don’t want him around, and now you’re just going to toss him out onto the street.”

Liu Wen rolls her eyes. “Oh, Jungwoo, don’t be so dramatic. He’ll find a new home somewhere.”

“You don’t know that!” he shouts. His mother blinks at him, his father looking up from the magazine in his hands. Jungwoo, for all intents and purposes, does _not_ shout. His lips pull into a tight line while he searches for the right words. “You don’t know what’ll happen if he goes back into the system. You can’t do this to him. He doesn’t deserve it—”

Liu Wen slams her phone onto the counter and turns on him. She’s shorter than him, but she’s his mother. She’ll always be intimidating. “He deserves everything that comes to him and you can’t change my mind, Jungwoo. He’ll be dealt with. Mark my words. Now, go study. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“He was a _child_ ,” Jungwoo presses, hands out pleadingly.

“I don’t want to talk. Go to your room.”

“Mom, please!”

The chair screeches against the floor boards as Siwon stands suddenly. His figure is imposing, even across the room, as he jabs a finger toward the hallway. “Go to your room. Now!”

Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, snatching up his food and glass, Jungwoo rushes out of the kitchen. There’s nothing he can do when his parents are like this. They aren’t going to listen to him. They aren’t going to do what he says. It took him far too long to convince them to let Donghyuck stay with them.

He drops everything onto his desk, heart pounding. It isn’t fair. None of this is fair. Donghyuck’s been through far too much already and to put him through something like the system, at his age, after everything, just isn’t right.

Jungwoo stills. “Shit,” he breathes. Donghyuck’s been home the whole time.

He moves across the hall and knocks. There’s no reply. He prays Donghyuck simply has his headphones in and hasn’t heard anything, though he knows that Donghyuck catches onto things far more quickly than he should. There’s a deep sense of dread in his stomach that tells him that Donghyuck’s probably been aware of this a lot sooner than Jungwoo.

After knocking again and getting no response, he says, “I’m coming in,” and turns the handle.

Donghyuck’s not there. The sheets on his bed look like he had been lounging there, and his school books are out. So, he does study still, Jungwoo thinks. On the opposite wall, the curtains billow towards him. The window’s open.

Sighing, he moves toward it and peeks out. There’s lattice on the side of the house, which makes it an automatic ladder in Donghyuck’s mind. Jungwoo closes his eyes. It isn’t the first time Donghyuck’s escaped his room, and it certainly won’t be the last. He just hopes he’s going to Jaemin’s—it’s the closest house to them, only a few streets over—and will come back eventually.

Jungwoo doesn’t close the window, just in case Donghyuck decides to come back later tonight, and goes back to his own room.

He’s not sure what he’s going to do. If his parents give up Donghyuck, he can’t say anything. He’s not legal age yet, so he can’t take Donghyuck himself. It’s a messy situation and if he wants to keep Donghyuck safe, he’s going to have to think of something.

Unfortunately, he’s got homework due tomorrow and there’s not much he can do about it at the moment. So, he pulls out his things and sets to work. He has a plan. This throws a bit of a bump into it, but it’ll be solved. It has to be.

His phone buzzes.

 **Taeyong** :

_We’re with you. Keep him safe._

Jungwoo will. He’ll do everything he can to do so. Not even his parents can change that.

*

Donghyuck does come back that night. The only reason Jungwoo knows is because he was still awake at one in the morning and he heard Donghyuck close his window, open the door, and head to the bathroom. They don’t talk about it in the morning—even though Jungwoo wants to—or when Jungwoo drops Donghyuck off at the mall. He tries to. He really does. Except Donghyuck keep swinging the conversation in a completely different direction and it leaves Jungwoo wondering if he should even try.

If he really doesn’t want to talk about what he overheard, Jungwoo isn’t going to force him. It isn’t like Jungwoo has any alternative plans anyway. So, Jungwoo does what he does best and let Donghyuck play in the shadows of secrets and forgotten conversations for just a little longer.

Every moment he has, Jungwoo studies or tries to come up with some sort of way to keep Donghyuck around. The thing is, he isn’t entirely sure he can convince them. Donghyuck hasn’t messed up since he moved in. Okay, well, he had accidentally caught the curtains on fire when he had Mark over that one time, but he hasn’t done anything like that since and it’s been years. His parents, to put it plainly, loathe Donghyuck.

Expelling his breath, Jungwoo lets his head fall into his hands. He tries his best to enjoy the quiet of the library, but his head is starting to hurt, just behind his eyes. It’s enough to make him groan uncomfortably. When he looks up, the student at the desk beside him is glaring at him. She points at the sign on the wall that reads ‘QUIET’ and Jungwoo fights the urge to roll his eyes and stick out his tongue because, clearly, he’s a lot more to worry about than the level of his noise.

A loud crack startles him and Jungwoo slams his hands on the desk, desperate to keep himself from falling off his chair. He blinks at the new arrival. Lucas beams at him.

Right, Jungwoo thinks, he’s tutoring today.

“Hey,” Lucas greets, dropping his bag beside his chair and taking out his notebook. He’s even brought highlighters and Jungwoo finds that somewhat adorable. He’s quick to squish down that thought. “How’s it going?”

It isn’t like he doesn’t know. Lucas likes to text, Jungwoo has found out. A lot. It’s not inherently a bad thing, of course, but it is a bit of a distraction every time his phone buzzes while he’s in the midst of reviewing. In fact, even if he doesn’t want to admit it, it’s kind of nice. Mostly because all his other friends are busy with university and they really only see each other on Wednesday and Donghyuck is usually out of the house, so Jungwoo spends the majority of his time getting to know his textbooks quite intimately. It’s been a while since someone around his age actually wants to talk to him and get to know him. To be friendly.

Yeah, Jungwoo had known this would be an issue. Lucas has already wiggled himself into a spot that Jungwoo didn’t want to give up and, yet, here they are: Jungwoo both hating it and enjoying it.

Of course, he does have a strong handle on his willpower and the majority of the time he keeps his answers short and to the point, hoping that Lucas will take a step back, but he doesn’t. He’s just naturally a warm person and he likes people. Jungwoo knows he can’t fault him for that, but it does put a bit of a wrench into his plans.

“Good,” he replies. “Did you finish your worksheets?”

Business, he tells himself. Focus on business. No friends. There’s no time.

Lucas rubs the back of his nape as his other hand slides out several sheets from his notebook that Jungwoo had given to him last Thursday. It appears like Lucas tried, but…Jungwoo takes them in his own hands and scans the answers.

Now, Lucas—as he has discovered—isn’t stupid and, at the end of their last session, he had seemed to have a very firm grasp on what they were learning. So, why is it that all the answers are either incomplete or just simply wrong?

“What happened?” is all he asks and Lucas shifts in his chair, eyes on the pen he’s twirling in his long fingers. It’s distracting.

“I tried,” Lucas says. His round eyes flick to Jungwoo. “I really did. I promise you. I just…My brain couldn’t focus on all the words and numbers and I just couldn’t figure it out.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

Shrugging, he says, “I don’t know. I felt dumb.”

Jungwoo puts the papers off to the side and flips open the textbook. “We’re going to start where we left off in Lesson Two and then we’ll go through some of the sheets. You have to know this stuff for your test on Friday, so make sure you’re paying complete attention, okay?”

The nod he gets is jerky and big, but it’s also in total determination and Jungwoo gives him a half-smile in response. They sit there for the next couple hours going over the lessons, reading through all their math that Lucas is going to need to know for his test in three days. He hopes that Lucas can retain enough to at least get a passing grade.

It’s weird, but Lucas knows it. He gets it. He’s picking it up every time Jungwoo talks to him, explains it, shows it slowly once or twice and then reads out the question. It doesn’t make sense. Lucas should know how to do this on his own. So, unless he’s lying and he was just too lazy to do the sheets—which somehow Jungwoo doesn’t believe—there’s just no excuse for how poorly he filled them out.

They’re close to the end of the session when Lucas glances up from his math question, brows furrowed, and asks, “Do you have hobbies? Besides studying, anyway.”

Jungwoo blinks. “What do you mean?”

“I just mean,” Lucas sits up to give his full attention and Jungwoo leans away from him, “Mark says you spend a lot of time in the books. I just wondered if you did anything else for fun.”

“Fun,” Jungwoo whispers. He swallows and tilts his head. “You asked Mark about me?”

Pink flushes across the bridge of Lucas’ nose and he stutters out, “Uh, y-yeah. I did. I just didn’t know anything about you, so I thought I would ask him. How else was I supposed to find out more about you?”

“Ask me?” he suggests, lips twitching. He breathes out a laugh. “Was this before or after we met?”

“Before. Now I can just text you.”

Yeah, Jungwoo agrees. He can. He does. A lot.

They don’t talk about much. It’s pretty limited to how their days went and how bored Lucas is at basketball practice and what Jungwoo is studying at that moment or what Jisung is doing while he’s babysitting. Lucas hasn’t really asked Jungwoo about himself in particular.

“So, hobbies?” Lucas asks again.

Jungwoo taps his pencil against the textbook. “I don’t have any.”

“None?” It’s odd how surprised Lucas seems.

“Well, studying is my hobby.”

“Studying isn’t a hobby, Jungwoo,” insists Lucas. “It’s not fun. You can’t tell me you find this fun.”

Jungwoo bristles. “I like to learn.”

“So much that you fill all your time with it? Come on. There must be something you like to do. Bike riding. Swimming. Coloring?”

His smile escapes before he can stop it. He wants desperately to hide himself behind a book because screw Lucas for dragging his obvious boringness out into the open. Licking his lips, Jungwoo fiddles with his pencil between his fingers.

“I, uh, sing?” When Lucas raises a brow, Jungwoo hurriedly adds, “I did. I don’t anymore.”

“Why?”

“Don’t have time.”

Lucas studies him until Jungwoo wants to pick up his things and leave. Just as he goes to tell Lucas to stop staring, Lucas says, “I think you should make time for things you love.”

“And I think you should be studying,” Jungwoo replies. “So, last question, please.”

They’re back to what they should be doing. Jungwoo tries to pretend Lucas doesn’t keep looking up at him through his fringe. Every time he does, Jungwoo gets a little warmer in the ears and he forces himself to clear his throat and read out the question.

“Try to do the worksheets for Thursday, okay?” Jungwoo tells him as he puts his things away. “A lot of them should be fairly simple for you now that you know this stuff. Thursday we’ll do a review for your test. I think you’ll be all right.”

“I’ll do my best, teach,” Lucas says with a smile. “Going home to study?”

Jungwoo leads them both out of the library and toward the exit. “Yeah. I still have things to do.”

“Sorry to keep you away from it.”

Shaking his head, Jungwoo says, “It’s okay. It’s nice to get a break from my own work, I guess.”

“So, you don’t have fun doing it then?”

Jungwoo makes the mistake of looking over his shoulder at Lucas. He’s got a crooked grin that screams taunting and he can’t help but scoff. “Don’t say a word,” he mutters. “Worksheets. Thursday. Don’t be late.”

Lucas skirts around him and laughs. “When am I ever? Teleporter, remember? See ya, teach.”

He watches as Lucas jogs off towards his truck. Jungwoo is about to start toward his jeep when he catches sight of a familiar cherry red vehicle and an even more familiar figure leaning against it. Clutching his bag, he wanders over to the side where the car is pulled up along the curb. Taeyong looks up from his phone and smiles.

Sometimes, Jungwoo wonders what people see when they look at Taeyong. A handsome, young man with crazy colored hair, leather jacket, and a cherry red Audi, which Jungwoo isn’t sure how he can afford, but never questions it. Whatever they think, it’s probably—if not always—wrong.

“What are you doing here?” Jungwoo asks when he gets closer.

Taeyong pushes up from the car. He shoots a look toward Lucas. “Is that him?”

“You don’t need me to answer that.”

“He’s cute.”

Jungwoo frowns. He’s not sure why. Taeyong is making a very normal observation, but there’s something that drops into his stomach and it burns. He wishes he hadn’t because Taeyong is smiling at him knowingly and it’s irritating.

“Relax,” he says, softly. “I’m not after him. He’s not really my type. He’s certainly yours, though. No wonder your thoughts are everywhere whenever you meet him.”

“Are you just here to pick on me?” Jungwoo inquired.

Taeyong tears his eyes from where Lucas’ truck has disappeared through the parking lot exit. He starts around the Audi to the driver’s side. “Get in.”

“My jeep, though,” he protests.

Waving toward the passenger side, Taeyong tells him, “Get in.” He’s in the driver’s seat before Jungwoo can say anything more.

Sighing, he does as he’s told. He hugs his bag close as he asks, “Really, why are you here? Something wrong?”

The car rumbles to life. “Not me with me,” Taeyong says. “But I think we should talk. Ice cream sound good?”

Jungwoo nods and sits back because he knows Taeyong won’t tell him anything until they’ve stopped moving. This seems serious and, if there’s one thing Jungwoo knows, it’s that Taeyong doesn’t like having serious conversations in cars. He likes to look at the person, gauge the response, even if he can hear every single thought in that person’s head.

In some ways, it was easy to forget that Taeyong reads minds, that he knows everything that flashes through someone’s mind within a wide radius—even across the city depending on who it was. It was just that Taeyong didn’t extend that telepathic information out to people. He tended to stay quiet, to play it down so he didn’t put people off. It wasn’t until it was needed to be told that he let that fact out.

Jungwoo only learned about Taeyong’s power because from the moment Taeyong stepped over the school threshold words spread. It’s hard to ignore someone with an ability that’s rare. People like Taeyong were coveted. Not that Taeyong cares. He would much rather live his life as quietly and as normally as he possibly can.

Taeyong pulls into one of the parking spaces in front of the ice cream shop and gets out. Jungwoo follows him inside.

It isn’t until they’ve got their ice cream and in a table at the back when Jungwoo asks, “Tae, what’s going on?”

Taeyong pokes at his chocolate swirl. “How’s tutoring?”

“That’s not why you dragged me here.”

“Humor me.”

The smile he gets is bright, but Jungwoo knows it’s leading him into a false sense of security. Still, he says, “It’s going fine.”

“And this kid, um, Lucas?” Jungwoo nods. “He’s nice to you?”

Jungwoo points his spoon, still covered in strawberry ice cream, at Taeyong. “You could ask me all these questions tomorrow when we have dinner.”

“I can,” Taeyong agrees. “But I figured you would rather me not ask while Johnny and Doyoung were around to make things more embarrassing for you. He seems nice. Lucas, I mean.”

“He is,” he relents. “He’s nice. Very friendly. Kind of excitable, but he’s good at focusing on his work. I could have ended up with someone much worse.”

Taeyong nods. “I’m glad. It’s good for you to have a friend in school. I know we haven’t really been around for you very much.”

Sitting back, Jungwoo says, “I don’t want another friend. I’m happy with what I have. Anything more would be too distracting. I’m tutoring him and then once that’s done, I’m moving on with my life.”

“You seem to like him.” Taeyong shakes his head. “I’m not reading you. I just saw the two of you leaving the school. I think you should give him a chance. What’s the worst that could happen, right?”

“Taeyong,” Jungwoo said, carefully, “I’m going to ask one more time because you’re legit starting to worry me. What is going on?”

Heaving a sigh, Taeyong drops his spoon into his cup and crosses his arms onto the table. His dark eyes lock onto Jungwoo. It’s not like he doesn’t know Taeyong can read his mind without looking, but when he’s staring there’s something eerie about it. As if it allows him to see more than words. Like he can unravel the person layer by layer until he has everything down to their essence filed into his own mind.

“Donghyuck,” he states. “How is he?”

There’s something about his tone that makes Jungwoo’s nerves instantly tighten. His brows gravitate towards each other. “Why?” he questions. “What do you know? Taeyong, please, talk to me.”

“I know you have a lot happening right now,” Taeyong tells him. “You have university applications, handling your parents’ expectations, and Donghyuck.”

“Donghyuck.”

“Right.” He worries his bottom lip. “Listen, I wouldn’t normally interfere, but I want to know that you have options.”

Jungwoo is well aware that Taeyong doesn’t interfere. He doesn’t read minds for other people or for personal gain. He wouldn’t even tell Johnny if the girl he liked in high school liked him back. He keeps every thought and secret locked up in that head of his because, as he’s said before, “Interfering can mess a lot of shit up.” And Jungwoo believes it.

Still, it’s annoying sometimes. There are cases where Jungwoo has been practically begging for Taeyong to give him the answer he wants. Taeyong’s locked so tight that no one can get in. He’s spent his entire life dealing with everyone’s thoughts inside his head, plus his own, and that’s made him very stubborn and unbelievably strong. It’s admirable, Jungwoo thinks.

So, it’s odd that he’s putting himself into this, letting on that he knows exactly what’s happening in Jungwoo’s life, what’s going on in his house because Taeyong just…doesn’t do that.

“Options,” Jungwoo repeats.

Taeyong glances behind him to make sure no one is listening in and leans closer. “I know that you would do anything to keep Donghyuck safe. You love him. We all love him. You’re both like my little brothers, and I care about you two. I know,” he pauses to lick his lips, “that right now your situation with your family is slightly compromised.”

His heart is thudding against his chest. It’s not surprising that Taeyong knows. Taeyong knows everything. But it’s almost unsettling to hear it come from his mouth.

“I’m not telling you what to do,” Taeyong explains. “I would never do that. Everything you choose to do is your decision. All I’m telling you right now is that there is someone I know that could help you should you be desperate enough.”

The sweetness aftertaste of the ice cream he had been eating has turned sour and he’s tempted to take another spoonful to fix it, but he’s also feeling sick, so he decides against it.

“What are you talking about?”

“His ability is only meant for when you have exhausted all your option, and it doesn’t last long. It wears off, eventually.” Taeyong furrows his brows, eyes on his arms. “He has the ability to change someone’s mind. To mesmerize someone in the way that alters their memories, thoughts, and opinions. It’s dangerous. It can mess a lot of things up, but—”

His heart squeezes painfully. “Are you saying that this guy can make my parents want to keep Donghyuck around?”

Dark eyes meet his. “He can. But, like I said, it’s not a permanent fix. Your parents will start to remember and they’ll know something happened. Maybe not exactly what happened, but enough that they’ll know they’ve been tampered with and that can be even more dangerous for you and Donghyuck. As I said, it’s a last resort.”

Jungwoo picked up his spoon. His ice cream was melting. Taeyong didn’t seem to care that his was pretty much liquid. He scooped the dripping mess up without a care. He wondered if his mess of thoughts were giving Taeyong a headache.

“Exhaust your options,” Taeyong says, finishing with his ice cream. “Every one of them. Then we can talk more. I just figured I should let you know.”

Jungwoo blinks hard, trying not to think of how his eyes were burning. “They don’t want him.”

“I know.”

“He’s just a kid, Tae,” he mutters. “He didn’t mean for any of this to happen and he tries so hard to pretend everything is normal, but it’s not. It can’t ever be. He’s got to live with that horror for the rest of his life and I know he blames himself. It wasn’t his fault.”

Taeyong nods. “I know that, too.”

“When I found out,” Jungwoo starts, swallowing over the lump in his throat, “I just wanted to be there for him. To give him a home. I fought so hard for them to take him in, despite the fact that my mom would have rather he have died and not my aunt. She never liked my uncle, or Donghyuck. This just gave her another reason to be mad. I don’t understand why they’re doing this now. He’s done nothing to them since moving in and he’s a good kid.”

“Some people will never change, Woo. It’s just how things go. Your mom will probably never love Donghyuck and your dad cares too much about your mom to do anything against her wishes. It’s…life. Life is hardly ever fair to the good people.” He sighs, running his fingers through blue locks. “I can’t tell you how to handle this. This is entirely your choice.”

Nodding, Jungwoo whispers, “I know. Thank you, anyway.”

“Come on.” Taeyong stands. “I’ll drive you back to your jeep.”

His stomach tells him to throw out the rest of his ice cream, so he does on the way out. The ride back is silent. Taeyong pulls into the parking spot next to Jungwoo’s jeep.

He’s smiling when he looks at Jungwoo. “He really is cute, you know?”

A comment like that shouldn’t make Jungwoo automatically think of Lucas and it definitely shouldn’t be making him blush, but it does both and Taeyong chuckles under his breath. Jungwoo glares at him.

“Stop it.”

“I’m just saying that maybe you should expand your options, too. No harm in it, right?”

Jungwoo stares at his backpack, still on his lap. “Right.”

“Have some fun while you can,” Taeyong tells him. “There’s so many things you could be doing instead of gluing your nose to a book.”

“You know why I do it.”

Because he did.

“Yeah, but my advice still stands. You’re a kid, Jungwoo. Enjoy it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jungwoo nods and gets out. He’s inside his jeep, waiting for Taeyong to drive off, and all he can think about is everything. Everything just feels like a mess and Jungwoo isn’t even sure where to start cleaning. So, instead, he starts up his jeep and goes home because if there’s one thing he can do right, it’s gluing his nose to a book—as Taeyong says—and he’d rather do that than think about all the ways his life can unravel in his fingers.

*

“Are you okay?”

Jungwoo snaps to attention at the sound of Lucas’ deep voice. It hits him hard, in the chest, and rattles his bones and, _god_ , Jungwoo needs to get it together. They’ve been sitting at their usual back table—which used to be just dubbed Jungwoo’s, so now he’s not sure when it suddenly became _theirs_ —honing in on the review test Jungwoo managed to collect from Lucas’ math teacher.

Once again, Lucas really only managed to get half of his worksheets done, even though Jungwoo had been texting him the whole time. To be perfectly honest, Jungwoo is just really confused. Lucas listens well so why is he failing so badly when they separate?

Jungwoo taps his pencil on the table, head tilted in thought. It’s amazing, he thinks, that Lucas seems like such an open book and yet confuses the hell out of him.

“Jungwoo?”

He blinks. Right, Lucas asked him a question and here he is staring at him like some sort of creep. Luckily, it doesn’t seem as though Lucas is uncomfortable. In fact, he’s smiling lightly and it’s a really nice look on him. For god’s sake, he really needs to pay more attention to the task at hand. Lucas is cute. Fine. Okay. But there are more important things to focus on, he tells himself.

He leans back in his chair. “Sorry, pardon?”

“I asked if you were okay,” Lucas chuckles. “You seem out into space. Something on your mind?”

Lots of things, Jungwoo wants to say. He’d love to unload it all, but he doubts Lucas would want to hear about it. How his parents are basically tyrants, how he is desperate to get into a good university, how Donghyuck is on his way to being shoved into the system for absolutely no good reason, and how he’s possibly got a slight crush on the boy he’s tutoring and who he’s only met a grand total of three times.

Jungwoo has never been a hopeless romantic, never liked people so suddenly, but it’s hard not to like Lucas with his bright smile and friendly personality. It’s inevitable, he thinks. Anyone would like Lucas. It’s nearly impossible not to. And given some time, especially after they’re done tutoring, he knows he can move on from it. From Lucas. Maybe.

So, yes, he’s sure Lucas does not want to hear that at all.

“I’m fine,” he manages, shifting. “You done?”

“Almost. I think I’ve done it right.”

He has. There are only a couple questions where he’s slipped up—forgot a negative sign or flipped a number—but he passes with over eighty percent and Jungwoo is left staring at his calculator in shock. They haven’t really touched on the other subjects yet because that’s not a priority until the math test is out of the way. Still, Jungwoo is certain that Lucas will be just as proficient in those as he is with math and…it just doesn’t make sense.

There’s nothing different to how they do things together versus what Lucas does at home. At least, he’s fairly sure about that.

“That bad?” Lucas asks. His eyes are wide, vulnerable, like a child. It’s somewhat adorable.

Jungwoo isn’t going to think about it.

“No, actually,” Jungwoo says, turning the calculator around so he can see it. Lucas’ jaw drops. “You’re surprised?”

“I’ve never gotten a mark like that,” he mumbles. “I’ve always just…failed. Are you sure?”

That makes him laugh. “Yeah, Lucas. I’m pretty sure. I just don’t get it. You’re smart, so what’s going on?”

“I don’t know.”

Jungwoo hums. “What do you do when you study at home?”

Lucas is quiet for a moment, brows furrowed, but then he says, “I try to study, but I can’t.”

“You can’t?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’ll start and it’s like the words aren’t making sense. Everything is just so all over the place and then it just gives me a headache, so I stop. It’s frustrating.”

“And here?”

Lucas shrugs. “It makes sense. As soon as you read it out, it clicks in my head and I know what to do because the words make sense.”

It hits Jungwoo like a cold wave. “When you mean the words are all over the place—”

“Sometimes they form and other times it’s like the letters aren’t even letters and I can’t focus on the word. My brain just keeps glitching or something.”

Now, Jungwoo isn’t a doctor. He doesn’t even want to be one. But he does know a few things and he does—strangely enough—listen to Kun when he goes over his premed notes when he’s prepping for an exam. There are things he’s picked up.

Jungwoo points at the page. “Can you read out the first question for me?”

Glancing at the question, Lucas’ frown deepens. Then he shakes his head, lower lip trembling. “I don’t want to.” His eyes snap to Jungwoo. “I’m not stupid.”

The statement hits Jungwoo hard and he forces himself to smile because he knows Lucas is just confused and, while he may not completely understand, he still feels for him. “No,” he states. “You aren’t stupid. I think, though, that you may have some kind of dyslexia. Mild form maybe?”

“I can read!” Lucas blurts, gaining the unwanted attention of a few people around them in the library. He mutters an apology before turning back to Jungwoo and leaning in. “I _can_ read.”

“I’m sure you can, Lucas. Dyslexic people can learn to read. It just takes more time than some others. People can go years without realizing they’re dyslexic, you know? It’s not anything to be ashamed of. It just means that you’ll have to learn in a different way. When I read out the questions, it makes sense, right?”

“But I can text and write,” he pauses and wrinkles his nose, “decently.”

“Look, I’m not going to tell you that’s it for sure because I don’t know, but I think you should think about getting it checked. Lucas, you’re super intelligent. You just have to learn differently. If you want, I can come with you to see your teacher tomorrow and ask about taking the test orally. What do you think?”

Lucas worries at his lip and Jungwoo wonders how else he can make it easier. To make it better. He doesn’t know, though. He’s never been good at comfort. He tries, but even Donghyuck tells him he sucks at it. So, he waits. He waits for Lucas to sluggishly collect all his things. Shortly after, Jungwoo starts to do the same.

“Hey,” Lucas whispers and Jungwoo halts his movements. They’re both standing now, table almost clean. “I was wondering if you would go somewhere with me after school tomorrow?”

Jungwoo hates how his heart jumps at that. “Um, I babysit after school.”

“Until when?”

“Seven.”

Lucas nods, turning his eyes up to the ceiling. When he finally looks back, he’s smiling. It’s enthralling. “If I pass my test, will you come with me somewhere after seven?”

He can’t stop the stutter. “I-I don’t know? Where?”

“It’s a secret.”

“You’d need to get a B, at least,” Jungwoo says.

“Great. See you tomorrow before my math class?” He’s still smiling, but there’s a nervous energy to it and Jungwoo dislikes thinking that Lucas is still worried about the whole possibly-dyslexic thing.

Jungwoo nods. “Yeah, see you before your math class.”

They make it to the parking lot without another word, except for a quiet goodbye, and Jungwoo is kind of glad because his heart won’t stop doing stupid flips every time he catches Lucas’ smile.

His phone buzzes.

 **Taeyong** :

_Remember to breathe._

_Also…try to tone down your fanboying. I have a headache._

Jungwoo glares as if Taeyong can see him. Asshole.

 **Taeyong** :

_I don’t call you names._

Groaning, Jungwoo shoves his phone into his pocket and goes to his jeep. He’s not going to deal with this right now.

*

“Jungwoo!”

He barely has time to turn around before a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist from behind and swing him around. It knocks the air out of him and it takes a moment for him to realize Lucas is the one spinning him around. He grips at Lucas’ arms just as he starts to teeter dangerously.

“Lucas, put me down,” he hisses.

His feet hit the ground hard and he almost tumbles over. Fortunately for him, Lucas has fast reflexes. His large hands grab onto Jungwoo’s arms and tug him close. Their chests bump together.

Lucas is beaming like the sun and it’s so bright, so Jungwoo looks down and pull himself away from the warm hands holding him. He sneaks a peek at the corridor to find people watching them with interest. A small collection of girls near them are giggling into their hands. Jungwoo is fully aware his ears are red.

A piece of paper is shoved into his face. Jungwoo sputters, moving back to let his eyes focus on the offending item. His eyes widen. With hesitant hands, he takes it and tilts the page, wondering if he’s seeing it correctly.

Lucas jabs at the test and Jungwoo nearly drops it. “I passed. With a A-. How about that!”

It’s impossible not to smile when Lucas does. It’s so infectious and Jungwoo hates that butterflies have taken home in his stomach. Stupid, bloody butterflies.

“That’s amazing,” he says, half his attention still on the mark in the top corner. He feels something swell in his chest and, damn it, he’s actually feeling super proud of Lucas right now.

They had managed to talk to Lucas’ teacher before class where Jungwoo explained his theory. Turns out—even if it’s not dyslexia exactly—having the test done orally proved something. Proved Lucas had a working brain. A good one at that.

“So, tonight?”

Lucas’ voice jolts him. “What?”

“I’ll come pick you up tonight, right?” he asks, tilting his head and smiling that smile that kind of turns Jungwoo’s brain function to mush. 

“Tonight? Pick me up? I don’t—”

“You said if I got a B, I could take you out. Well, _A-_ , right there.”

Jungwoo knows he resembles a fish. His mouth is opening and closing, no words are coming out. Lucas just grins, takes the paper back, and starts walking backwards down the hall. He points and Jungwoo honestly feels a bit attacked.

“Tonight, Jungwoo. Pick you up at seven.”

Then he’s racing off, disappearing into the crowd, and Jungwoo isn’t sure what to think. His thoughts are just a bit too preoccupied with the image of Lucas so happy. So proud of himself. He should be, Jungwoo thinks. He worked hard and he deserves it.

An arm hooks through his. It makes him jump. “So, you got yourself a date?”

Jungwoo groans, pressing a hand to his forehead. Donghyuck is grinning at him. It’s just as bright as Lucas’, but a lot more mischievous. His friends are there, too, which makes Jungwoo curl in on himself because what exactly had they seen?

“Not a date,” Jungwoo says, elbowing Donghyuck in the stomach and slipping away. He crosses his arms. “And I’m not going.”

“Sounds like you promised him, though,” Jaemin says. He’s standing close to Jeno, who’s found a comfortable spot leaning against the lockers.

Jaemin and Jeno been friends since birth practically, always gravitating towards on another like two planets circling a single orbit. One of the things Jungwoo kind of envies is the fact that he’s never had a best friend. Someone who knows him inside and out. He’s had close friends, sure, but nothing like that.

Jeno smiles, eyes crinkling into crescents, as Jungwoo goes back to his locker and starts taking out his books like he had been doing before he was picked up and swung around like a top. The phantom feeling of Lucas’ arms around his middle is still there and he digs his head into the locker to hide the probable blush on his face.

“I didn’t,” he replies. “Well, it’s possible he took it that way, but I have things to do and I can’t go out. And it’s not a date, Donghyuck, so don’t even think like that.”

“Sounded like it,” Jeno says. It’s too bad. Jungwoo liked him.

“It’s not. God, don’t you five have something better to do?”

Mark shrugs. “Not really. But, uh, Jungwoo, it’s possible that Lucas really thinks it’s a date.”

Biting his lip, Jungwoo stares at his books. He needs to study. He needs to focus. “Well, it’s not and I’m not going. So…there. See you guys around.”

“You know, you could be a normal teenage boy for once!” Donghyuck calls to him as he marches toward the stairs. “Go out? Have fun! You remember what fun is, right?”

Jungwoo gives him the middle finger. Donghyuck presses a hand to his chest as if he’s been shot and falls backwards. Mark is quick to catch his laughing form. Renjun, who’s been quiet the whole time, rolls his eyes and kicks Donghyuck’s shin. Jungwoo turns away before a fight breaks out.

*

Donghyuck’s still trying to convince him to go. They’ve just gotten back from babysitting Jisung and, oddly enough, his parents aren’t around. It’s always apparent when they’re not because Donghyuck’s whole self seems to lighten, his shoulders relaxing. There’s a letter on the island that tells them his parents will be out until later in the night. At least now he won’t need to worry about dealing with them for a few more hours.

Part of him feels guilty for feeling that way, but he can’t help it.

“I’m not going, Donghyuck,” he argues. “I can’t go. I have so many things to do and—”

“And there’s a really nice guy you find cute—don’t argue with me—that wants to take you out somewhere. Live a little, Woo. Enjoy life for one,” Donghyuck says as he leans against the counter. “I don’t know why you’re so set on studying all the time. I haven’t seen you do anything remotely interesting for years.”

Jungwoo frowns. “Ouch?”

“No, seriously,” he says, “you haven’t. Like, didn’t you used to sing? What happened to that? I remember being dragged to your concerts all the time.”

Shifting his weight to his other foot, Jungwoo mutters, “I got busy.”

“Busy with what? You’re already getting the best grades in school. Any university would kill to have you on their student roster. Take some time for yourself.”

It would be nice to. Jungwoo often thinks about it. But he can’t. His plan is important, even if Donghyuck doesn’t know.

He opens his mouth to say something, anything, when the doorbell rings. He and Donghyuck exchange curious glances. Then, Donghyuck grins and launches himself off the counter. Jungwoo isn’t quick enough to catch him and Donghyuck is too slippery anyway. He races after his cousin, nearly tackling him into the door, but Donghyuck is already yanking on the handle to reveal a smiling Lucas, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Jungwoo stumbles to a stop.

“Uh, hi,” he greets, lamely.

“Hey! Ready?” Lucas asks.

Donghyuck nods, emphatically. “Damn right he is.”

“Donghyuck,” Jungwoo warns. Lucas’ smile faulters at the tone of Jungwoo’s voice, as if he knows what’s about to happen. Taking a deep breath, Jungwoo says, “I’m sorry, Lucas, but I can’t tonight. I have to study and my parents are out so I have to keep an eye on this child.” He jerks his chin to Donghyuck, who squawks.

The dejected look on Lucas’ face is enough to cause pain. “Oh.”

Donghyuck waves his hand, glowering over his shoulder at Jungwoo. “No, no. Go out and have fun. I’m going to Mark’s anyway, so you have all the time in the world.” Jungwoo’s arm is taken and he’s practically thrown into Lucas’ arms. “Have him back by ten, yeah?”

“Donghyuck!”

But the boy is already racing up the stairs, laughter high in the air. Jungwoo promises to strangle him later. The hands on his shoulders squeeze and he comes back to reality. Slowly, he turns his head to find Lucas smiling at him. Jungwoo gulps.

“So, coming?” Lucas asks, albeit a little hesitantly.

“How did you even know where I lived?”

Lucas scratches the nape of his neck. “Asked Mark. Hey, it’s okay if you don’t want to come. I just thought maybe you might like a bit of a break for once. But I can go, if you want.”

No, he doesn’t want.

_Urgh, why?_

Jungwoo has no more excuses and Lucas is already here and how is he supposed to turn him away now? Without another word, he grabs his jacket, puts on his shoes, and pockets his phone. He’s in Lucas’ truck before he can second guess anything. It smells like pine. Probably from the car freshener hanging from the mirror.

“Where are we going?” he inquires. The small city streets are becoming less busy and he can see the coast of the water. He really hopes he didn’t make a mistake and Lucas is actually going to murder him.

His phone buzzes in his pocket.

 **Duckie** :

_Have fun, loser_

_Jaemin says to use protection_

Jungwoo chokes on his own spit. Lucas glances at him, concerned, but he simply waves him off as he clicks on the next message.

 **Taeyong** :

_He’s not going to kill you. Relax._

Trying to shove Donghyuck’s message deep into the back of his mind, and taking Taeyong’s advice, he forces his shoulders to release some tension.

“We’re meeting up with some of my friends,” Lucas says. “Hope that’s okay. They came into town a couple days ago and I haven’t been able to see them. I figured you might want to come and hang out with us.”

“It’s not, like, a party is it?” Jungwoo questions. He doesn’t do parties.

Chuckling, Lucas shakes his head. “No, not a party.”

When he looks back out the window, he notices that they’re at the entrance to the beach. The car bumps as they roll through the parking lot and stop next to another car.

Lucas shoots him a light smile and gets out. Jungwoo is quick to follow. The sun is already setting, hanging low and barely brushing the horizon of the water. The wind hits him and he’s glad he brought a jacket. Quietly, he follows after Lucas, their shoes sinking into the soft sand.

It’s been a long time since Jungwoo’s gone to the beach. He used to go all the time as a child until his parents stopped taking him and Jungwoo started focusing more on school than anything else. He stops to stare.

The thing about elemental users is that they’re always at home with their element. It’s hard to fear it, hard to get away from it. It calls out and sings to them, like a siren. The water is like that to Jungwoo. It connects to him like no person ever could. He misses being around it, misses seeing it. _God_ , he doesn’t even remember the last time he’s used his ability. He wonders if the water would respond to him the way it had when he got his power as soon as he turned sixteen and so excited to just…play. It’s been months since he’s tried to manipulate water.

“You okay?” Lucas has stopped, too, a few feet ahead. His eyebrows are pulled together, wary.

Jungwoo nods. “Yeah, I’m fine. Where are your friends?”

They continue down the beach until a few figures come into view. Three, to be exact. They’re all gathered around a picnic table. A dark-haired boy sits on the surface, nodding quietly to another boy with brown hair that curls around his ears. His arms move wildly as he talks. And the third boy is sitting in the sand, digging into it with his hands as if he’s searching for some kind of treasure down there.

Jungwoo narrows his eyes at the boy on the table. It seems familiar, but the sunglasses he’s wearing make him wonder. “Wait, is that—”

“Dejun Xiao?” Lucas offers.

He blinks. “ _The_ Dejun Xiao?” The information makes Jungwoo halt. From what he knows, Dejun is quite a popular model in China and a little in Korea. Jungwoo remembers seeing his face on one of Donghyuck’s magazine. He doesn’t know much about Dejun, but he at least knows that.

“I didn’t think you were into models,” Lucas tells him, a teasing lilt to his voice.

Jungwoo rolls his eyes. “Donghyuck has magazines. I’m not blind. I don’t live under a complete rock.”

The smile he gets is crooked. “Oh, sassy.”

Crossing his arms, Jungwoo asks, “How do _you_ know him?”

“You know I’m Chinese, right?”

Jungwoo’s not sure why, but he presses a hand to his heart and gasps. “No! You? _Yukhei Wong_? I had no idea.”

Lucas almost doubles over in laughter. It’s such a happy sound. It sends trills through Jungwoo’s body and he smiles. His ears are warm. Jungwoo’s not a total bore. He _does_ know how to joke around. He just tends to keep it subdued around his parents and, unfortunately, it’s become a bit engrained into his every day as well.

“Oh god,” Lucas chuckles. “Okay, then, sassy. I’ve known Dejun and Kunhang since elementary school. Then I moved here just before high school. We try to connect when we can. Dejun’s on a business trip for his modeling and Kunhang can’t leave him out of his sight, so he came, too.”

At the fond look in Lucas’ gaze, Jungwoo asks, “How long has it been since you’ve seen them?”

“In person? About six months. I have friends here, but,” he gestures to the figures in the distance, “they’re my brothers. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”

As Jungwoo and Lucas draw near, their soft footsteps gain attention.

The boy who was talking, grins, all his teeth on view. He yells something in Mandarin and Jungwoo is shocked when Lucas calls back, the words rolling off his tongue with ease. Jungwoo decides that, no, it’s not attractive.

Suddenly, the boy jumps from his spot at the table and rushes over to Lucas. He throws an arm around Lucas’ neck and brings him down to put him into a headlock. Lucas doesn’t seem to be trying to get out of it, simply laughing.

“Xuxi! Miss you, you bastard,” the boy says as he finally shoves Lucas away. “Took you long enough to get here.”

“Sorry. I was picking up Jungwoo.”

All eyes turn to him and Jungwoo finds himself hugging himself and ducking his head low. He stills when the brunette hugs him. He wraps his arms around Jungwoo’s neck and squeezes him as if they’re long lost friends. Jungwoo isn’t sure what to do, so he looks to Lucas for help.

Lucas seems to understand. He gently pulls on the boy’s shoulders. “Kunhang, you’re scaring him.”

“Oh! Sorry, I got excited. Lucas doesn’t stop talking about you.”

“Kunhang,” whines Lucas and Jungwoo thinks he might be blushing, but it’s hard to tell in the lighting of the beach.

Kunhang laughs. “It’s true! Anyway, hi, I’m Kunhang, but you, cutie, can call me Hendery. That’s Dejun,” that earns him a little wave, “and that’s YangYang.”

YangYang doesn’t even glance his way, but Jungwoo wonders if it’s because he simply couldn’t hear them. He has headphones in and, even from where he’s standing, Jungwoo can hear the bass of the music. Kunhang—Hendery—shrugs as if to say ‘what can you do?’.

YangYang looks to be fairly young. Perhaps around fourteen, Donghyuck’s age. They all seem nice, too, but Jungwoo isn’t really sure why Lucas has brought him here, to meet these people. He hardly knows Lucas to begin with and now he’s here with more strangers. Taeyong told him to relax, but that’s not an easy feat for Jungwoo these days.

Hendery doesn’t wait for Jungwoo to say anything else. He promptly takes Jungwoo’s arm and drags him over to the picnic table. He forces his long legs through the hole and sits on the bench. Tilting his head, Dejun holds out his hand and Jungwoo shakes it awkwardly.

“Kunnie,” Dejun says, “can you hand me my drink?”

It’s not that far from him, sitting just behind him, but Hendery reaches over and grabs it. He takes Dejun’s hand and sets the can against his palm.

“I feel like I kind of know you already,” Hendery says to Jungwoo. He holds up a can of pop in one hand and a water bottle in the other. Jungwoo takes the water bottle with a ‘thanks’. “Lucas talks a lot about you.”

“I don’t know what he’d say,” Jungwoo admits, ears flaming. “We haven’t known each other very long. I just tutor him.”

“And saved his ass, apparently,” Hendery laughs. “Honestly, his marks were hopeless. He might actually graduate. What a shock.”

“Don’t be mean, Kunnie,” says Dejun. “He’s trying.”

Jungwoo glances over at Lucas. He’s taken a spot next to YangYang. They’re building a sand castle. At least, that’s what he thinks it is. It’s a bit wonky. “Did he mention what might be the issue?”

“Yeah, actually. His mom’s taking him to get tested next week. I can’t believe no one ever thought of it.” Hendery casts a glare at his own drink.

“It’s not something people normally think about,” Jungwoo tells him. “Lots of people go through their whole lives not realizing. Most people just assume the child is slow or whatever. I’m not completely sure, but at least it’s something he can check. And the oral testing seems to be working, so he’s won in that respect.”

Hendery smiles. “Yeah. Thanks for taking care of him.”

Jungwoo blinks. “I-I don’t really—I mean, I just tutor him.”

“Right,” is all Hendery says. “So, Jungwoo, tell us a bit about yourself. Lucas says you’re the top of your class.”

“Oh, uh,” Jungwoo fiddles with the cap of his bottle, “I guess.”

“He’s so modest. It’s so cute.”

Dejun shakes his head. “Don’t embarrass him.”

“I’m complimenting him! Really, Jungwoo, it’s impressive,” Hendery insists. “I know I could never. My marks aren’t bad, but, god, they aren’t top material at all.”

“I just study a lot,” Jungwoo mutters.

“Apparently, excessively?”

Jungwoo purses his lips. “I like studying.”

A laugh ripples from Hendery. His dark eyes twinkle in the fading sun and Jungwoo wonders if he’s seeing things because a faint glow surrounds him. He thinks it’s from the sun, too. “Lucas said you’d say that. No hobbies? At all?”

“I don’t really have time. There’s a lot to do with school. I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

Dejun hums. “It’s not a bad thing. Kind of impressive to find someone who finds studying a fun pass time.” He gestures with his can in Lucas’ direction. “I don’t think Lucas could give up basketball. He loves it too much. Nothing would take him from that. YangYang is into music. Anything about it really.”

“I love space,” Hendery admits, suddenly. “Love it. Obsessed with it. I’m going to build a space craft and get myself up there.”

Jungwoo cracks a smile. “That’s exciting.”

“It is! Can you image what’s up there? No way are we the only people in the universe.”

Jungwoo briefly thinks Hendery and Renjun would get along. Renjun’s always loved the idea of aliens. Looking to Dejun, he questions, “And you’re into modelling?”

“Yeah, for now, anyway. It’s a good way to earn money. I spend a lot of time travelling and doing school on the road. Not that a public school would be a good place for me, anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

Hendery furrows his brow and Dejun’s can has stopped halfway to his lips. “You don’t know?”

Eyes flicking between the two boys, Jungwoo asks, “Know what?”

Sighing, Dejun hands his can to Hendery—he’s quick to take it and set it at the far end of the table where it was before—and takes off his sunglasses. At first, Jungwoo doesn’t see what’s wrong. All he sees is Dejun’s handsome face. His thick eyebrows, his sharp jaw, his straight nose. Even his eyes are striking, dark as night and captivating, locked on Jungwoo. No, they’re not looking at Jungwoo. They’re staring through him. As if he doesn’t see Jungwoo at all.

His heart drops as the dawning crashes down on him. He closes his eyes for a moment before opening them. “You’re blind.”

“My whole life,” Dejun says, a grin lighting up his face. “Don’t worry. I’m over it. I’m surprised you didn’t know. Most people do. I assumed after you mentioned the modelling.”

“I’ve only ever seen your face on the cover of a magazine. I don’t know much about you personally. Sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

Dejun snorts, puts his glasses back on, and holds out his hand. Hendery gives him back his drink. “Please, you didn’t know. And it’s not like it offends me or something if people know. I mean, I literally put myself in a position for people to find out.”

“I stick around to be his dog,” Hendery jokes and Dejun clicks his tongue, but doesn’t say anything. “Don’t worry too much about it, though. There are moments Dejun can see more than anyone.”

“Huh?”

Dejun crosses his legs and abruptly asks, “What’s your power, Jungwoo?”

“Water manipulation,” he answers, easily. The crash of the waves behind him are loud, as if they’re calling out to him. He resists the urge to turn and look. “Why?”

“Show me?”

Jungwoo gapes, unsure of what to say. “Uh, I-I can try? Um, how?”

The grin he gets is striking. “Don’t worry. Just show me.”

Licking his lips, Jungwoo uncaps his water bottle. He holds out his hand, palm up, and pours a bit of water with the other. He hopes, with all his heart, that it’s like riding a bike, that the mechanics will come back to him if he just tries. As soon as the water hits his palm, he straightens. It’s like everything in his body lights up. It’s how he feels when he’s in the shower, though he’s never tried to manipulate the water in that situation. It’s a feeling that wakes him up on the inside. Probably why his showers are a little longer than they should be. Once he feels it, he doesn’t want it to stop.

His fingers curl and the water follows, lifting up around the edges and folding into the middle. He feels the water hover from his palm, a perfect sphere. It constantly turns, like a current. Yeah, he thinks, just like riding a bike.

When he looks back up, he finds Dejun has his sunglasses off again. Slowly, his whole being starts to fade into nothing. He’s invisible. Jungwoo nearly loses enough concentration to drop the water sphere. A soft laugh drifts along the wind from where Dejun had been sitting.

“Relax, I’m just invisible.” The disembodied voice is somewhat disturbing. “That’s super cool, by the way. How much can you manipulate?”

Jungwoo shrugs. He wills the water to flow like a stream back into the bottle. Dejun is visible again. “When I first got my power, I was able to lift the water out of the local pool, but that’s about it. I don’t really use it anymore.”

“Your power? Why not?” Hendery asks. “I use my power all the time. It’s so handy.”

“What is it?”

“Guess!”

The light is blinding. Jungwoo thinks he’s seeing stars when it finally dies down. Groaning, he rubs at his eyes.

“Damn it, Hen,” Lucas says. Jungwoo startles because he didn’t realize both Lucas and YangYang had abandoned their odd-looking castle to stand behind him. He’s rubbing at his eyes, too. “Warn us next time.”

“Sorry!” He doesn’t look sorry. “Light. I manipulate light.”

“Got it,” Jungwoo murmurs, white lights still playing long his sight.

A hand falls on his shoulder. Jungwoo twists around to find Lucas watching his friends. He’s about to ask if everything is okay, when Lucas says, “Can you not injure Jungwoo the first time you meet him?”

“Don’t want him to be blind?” Dejun asks. The corners of his mouth are twitching. “Geez, Lucas. Really, Jungwoo, it’s not so bad.”

“I’m sure,” is all he manages. Wow, Hendery’s powers are kind of like looking directly at the sun. It hurts.

“Want to go for a walk?”

It takes Jungwoo a moment to realize that Lucas is asking him. A strange feeling flutters from his heart to his chest and Jungwoo isn’t really sure why because it’s just a walk. It’s not like it’s scandalous. But he still feels it is and he tries to ignore it. He forces himself to nod and pull his legs out from under the table. He’s sort of surprised that the other three don’t join them. Dejun waves them off with Hendery and YangYang kicks down his castle and starts the walls of another one.

Jungwoo and Lucas start down the beach, a few feet separating them. The wind nips at his cheeks, but he can hardly care. The water is so close and all he wants to do is dive into it. He doesn’t say anything to Lucas as he takes off his shoes and socks, rolls up his pant legs, and steps into the waves. It’s freezing. The sun is almost down and everything is purple and orange and beautiful. He doesn’t want to move.

“Do you swim?”

Jungwoo looks back at Lucas. He’s still standing a distance away, careful not to get his shoes wet. It’s impossible not to notice how incredibly attractive he looks in the colors of the sunset. He may not shine as brightly as Hendery, but he still glows needlessly.

“I mean,” Lucas blurts, “of course you swim. I mean, you must know how to swim. You swim, though, right? Because of your power. I mean—”

“Lucas,” Jungwoo interrupts with a smile. “Yes, I can swim. I used to competitively, actually. When I was younger.”

Lucas shuffles closer. “Really?”

“Yeah.” It was some of the best years of his life, he thinks. “They made me stop, though.”

“Your parents?”

“Them, yeah. But mostly the company I swam at. With my powers it was hard to let me compete. They couldn’t tell if I was cheating or naturally gifted. And my parents wanted me to focus on more important things.”

“Like school.”

Jungwoo nods. “Like school. I don’t blame any of them. I get it. But it did stop me from getting into a pool. I haven’t swam for almost over a year, I think?”

“That,” Lucas inhales, “that’s a really long time.”

He wiggles his toes in the sand, in the waves, and smiles to himself. It’s an amazing feeling. He coughs a laugh. “Tell me about it. Hey, Lucas?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

When he glances back, he finds Lucas staring at him, eyes round and wide. The wind sweeps up his fringe and messes up his hair and Jungwoo decides he likes the wind-swept look on him.

“Why?”

Shrugging, Jungwoo says, “For bring me here. I know you didn’t mean to, but standing here…I needed this so fucking much.”

Lucas blinks. “I’ve never heard you swear.”

“Where do you think Donghyuck learned it from?”

“Sometimes I wondered. He swears like a sailor.”

“He’s learned from his captain well then.”

He finds himself smiling at Lucas as he laughs. He watches as Lucas bends over to undo his shoes and peel off his socks. He doesn’t bother to roll up his pants and just steps right in.

“Shit, that’s cold.”

Jungwoo chuckles. “No duh.”

“You know, Jungwoo Kim,” Lucas says, staring out at the setting sun. “You’re not what I thought.”

“I aim to please. Or surprise, I guess.” Jungwoo crosses his arms and gives him a half shrug. “You’re not exactly what I was expecting either.”

Lucas raises his brows and nods. “Touché. I never thought you were boring, you know? You couldn’t be to me. You’re really interesting, actually.”

“All you’ve seen me do is study and stand in some water.”

“That’s not it, though.” Lucas turns so he can face Jungwoo and the sun casts a gold glow along the side of his face, sharpening his features. “You’re intuitive and smart. You’re funny. And you’re talented, Jungwoo. Even if you don’t think so, you are. Plus, you’re kind of attractive when you’re studying. You get super focused and you stick your tongue out—”

“I do not!”

“You do, actually,” Lucas says with finality. “Like this.”

He makes a face and Jungwoo shoves him. The water splashes up around their knees and the crashing of the waves swallows up their laughter. Lucas swipes up the surface of the water and it hits Jungwoo in the face. He sputters and shoves at Lucas again. He nearly falls into him when the sand locks around his foot, but he catches himself

“You’re ridiculous,” Jungwoo says, panting slightly. “Honestly, completely ridiculous.”

“Maybe, but you’re amazing.”

Jungwoo stills. Their bodies are close enough that when the wind blows, Jungwoo’s jacket brushes at Lucas’ front. The sun has finally sunk beneath the horizon, and everything is gold and orange. Jungwoo thanks all things that are good that the waves are covering the heavy beating of his heart because Lucas is staring at him in a way that makes the butterflies that have taken over his stomach wake up and it’s enough to make Jungwoo stop breathing.

He’s not sure if he’s the one that steps closer or if it’s Lucas, but they’re practically chest to chest and Jungwoo knows he needs to step back. He can’t do this. This isn’t in the plan. His eyes fall on Lucas’ lips and he swallows because everything is urging him to lean in and he’s fighting so hard not to. But, as much as he can control himself, he can’t control Lucas and he knows that it’s Lucas that’s getting closer and Jungwoo isn’t saying anything, isn’t moving. And they’re so close. Frighteningly close. He can feel Lucas’ breath on his lips and he gasps sharply and—

“Lucas!”

Lucas is the first to move. He snaps back, eyes shooting over Jungwoo’s head to where his friends are. Jungwoo hugs himself, too scared to take a step. Oh god, oh _god_. What was he thinking?

“Um,” Lucas’ voice is jarring and Jungwoo nearly flinches, “I’ll be right back.”

With a crack, he’s gone. Jungwoo exhales everything from his body. Running his hands through his hair, he tries to remember how to breathe properly because, _oh fuck_ , he just almost did that. He almost kissed Lucas Wong, and how could he? What is going on in his head?

He’s barely gathered himself when Lucas is back on the sand, several feet away. He bends down to pick up his socks and shoes. “The others are leaving and, well, it’s getting late. I can take you back?”

It comes out a question, but Jungwoo isn’t sure he means it to be because Lucas drove him and there’s really no other options to get home. Even still, he nods and grabs his own things. The two of them head back, wordlessly, towards the others. They say goodbye and hop into Lucas’ truck. The silence is almost deafening compared to being right next to the water. Jungwoo already misses it. He knows he needs to get home, though.

“I guess I should—I’m not sure—Do you—” Lucas’ words come out quick and unsure.

Jungwoo says, “It’s okay. We don’t need to talk about it.”

Lucas nods and starts the truck. They’re on the road back to Jungwoo’s when he finally speaks up again. “I just wanted to say thank you for coming out with me.”

“I enjoyed myself.” And he did. It was probably the best thing he’s done in a long time. Well, ignoring the mishap at the end, but he’s not going to pay attention to that. “Thank you for inviting me. I guess I sort of needed to get out.”

“I’m glad. I know you find studying really important. I just wanted to give you a bit of fun somehow. As a gift for helping me pass my test.”

Jungwoo smiles. “Well, that was one test. There’s many more to come.”

“If I pass those, will you go out with me again?”

The question startles him and Jungwoo stares out the window to hide the warmth spreading across his cheeks to his ears. “Maybe.”

“You know,” Lucas starts, slowly, “I think it’s important to get out and live a bit. Breathe and escape. In fact,” he presses a button on the ceiling and the sunroof opens, “I dare you to stick out your head and scream.”

Jungwoo twists in his seat to stare at him. The wind thunders above them as it hits against the edge of the opening. “What?”

“Stick your head out and scream, Kim. Loud. Come on, I know you’ve got it in you. No way you’re always quiet.”

He looks up at the darkened sky and then back at Lucas, who’s smiling at the road. “I’m not doing that.”

“Come on, Kim. Live young, die free, right? I bet you’ve got a lot of built up frustration. Scream it out.”

There’s a spark. That’s the only way he can describe it. He frowns at Lucas’ crooked grin. With haste, he unbuckles his seat belt. “Don’t crash,” he orders. Lucas gives him a two-finger salute. Shaking his head at himself, Jungwoo puts his knee on the consul and lifts himself up through the sunroof. The wind smacks against his face and it takes a moment for him to orient himself.

The world is rushing past them so fast and Jungwoo can see the city coming into view. He knows what awaits him when he gets back. His parents. His homework. His university applications. He takes a deep breath.

And screams.

The wind sweeps it up, but Jungwoo hardly cares because it feels good. His fingers grip at the edge and he screams again until there’s no air left in him. He collapses back into his seat. Lucas chuckles and lets out a “whoop!”. That sets Jungwoo off. He’s laughing and he’s never felt lighter. This time, when he screams Lucas is just as loud, yelling alongside him.

They’re still laughing when Lucas pulls up behind Jungwoo’s jeep. The porch lights are on and it looks like his parents are finally home. He hopes Donghyuck is still out. Or at least hidden in his room.

“Thank you,” Jungwoo says, finally gathering himself. “I really mean it.”

Lucas is quick to smile. “Any time. I’ll see you at school?”

“Tuesday,” he agrees. He slides on his socks and shoes and gets out. Before he closes the door, he ducks his head back in. “Just so you know, this was probably the best night in, well, a really long time.”

This time, Jungwoo knows Lucas’ is blushing. He wets his lips, eyes flicking to his hands that are set on the wheel. “I’m glad. I’m really glad.”

“See you.”

Lucas’ car doesn’t disappear until Jungwoo is inside. He barely says a word to his parents, both of who ask him where he was, who dropped him off. Jungwoo doesn’t want anything to ruin this, whatever _this_ is. He tells them good night and races up to his room. It doesn’t look like Donghyuck is back yet.

For the first time in years, Jungwoo goes to bed without doing his homework. And he’s not guilty about it at all because all he can think about is the water on his legs and an infectious laugh that’s buried itself deep into his soul. It’s sappy and troublesome, but he can’t find himself to care. Not tonight.

*

They don’t talk about it, what happened on the beach. Jungwoo keeps his mouth closed and mind focused. Lucas tries not to as well and, while he’s mastered the art of not saying anything about it, Jungwoo can tell he’s thinking about it. There are fleeting looks, soft smiles, and burning red ears and Jungwoo knows he’s not much better, but he likes to pretend he is, just to make things easier on himself.

Together, they work every Tuesday and Thursday after school to bring Lucas’ grades up. And up they go. Within the next several weeks, Lucas is no longer failing. It also helps that he’s gotten a bit more help with the school. He’s gone through makeup tests and regular ones, all oral, and passes all of them with flying colors and Jungwoo is proud. He can’t help but grin every time a new test is shoved in his face. Luckily, he’s managed to stop Lucas from picking him up and swinging him around in the hallway. The stares they got were a little embarrassing, to say the least.

It’s strange, he thinks, how the situation’s turned out. It’s not bad, but it certainly is a bit difficult. He can’t stop himself from gravitating to Lucas and Lucas to him and he knows it’s bad. He knows he can’t let that happen. Taeyong refuses to tell him what to do about it and it’s irksome. Sometimes he wishes someone would sort out his life so he didn’t have to do it himself.

They haven’t gone out since the beach and Jungwoo tries not to feel weird about it. Lucas had asked him if he would again, if he passed another test, but it never comes up and Jungwoo isn’t going to bring it up because he knows, at the end of the day, this is okay. This is what needs to happen. They have to keep things simple. And not together.

He also does his best to not respond to Donghyuck, who’s found great pleasure in sticking his nose into Jungwoo’s business. He finds the whole thing very interesting. Jungwoo does not.

It’s Wednesday morning and Jungwoo can hear his parents downstairs. They’ve taken the week off to oversee some of the work being done on the house—on Donghyuck’s old house. There are magazines and invoices everywhere. They’re always on the phone or emailing someone. The only words they’ve spoken to Jungwoo is if he’s gotten his homework done and, believe it or not, Jungwoo is quite happy with that.

They still won’t talk about Donghyuck. Jungwoo isn’t sure what’s happening, but he can feel something curling in his stomach every time his parents suddenly halt their conversation when he enters the room, his cousin’s name previously falling from their lips and pretending it hasn’t.

When he gets to the kitchen, he’s surprised to see a lady there that doesn’t belong. She’s in a pin-striped suit, her black hair twisted up into a bun. She has one of Jungwoo’s mom’s fancy tea cups in her hands. It’s too early, Jungwoo notes. Who would visit this early?

Then his eyes fall on the clipboard, the file, the business card attached that reads ‘social worker’ and his stomach drops. He has every urge to race upstairs to Donghyuck’s room and escape. To hide him where they can’t get him because he doesn’t deserve this. He just doesn’t.

“Ah, Jungwoo,” his mother says, glancing up from her own mug. She looks tired, dark circles under her eyes. Jungwoo can’t find it in himself to care. “Meet Hyuna. She’s here—”

“I know why she’s here,” he states, not kindly. It’s not Hyuna’s fault, really. She’s just doing her job. It’s his mother who should be ashamed. “You can’t send him away. There’s no reason.”

Liu Wen’s eyes narrow. Jungwoo doesn’t look away. “Now isn’t the time. You should be getting ready for school.”

Turning to Hyuna, he says, “You can’t take him from here. He needs to be here.”

“Jungwoo!”

“You can’t take him away from me, _please_.”

The tea cup hits the table with a clank and Liu Wen stands. Her face is flushed, her brows pulled together in a frown. “Go to school, Jungwoo. We’ll talk more when you get home.”

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” His voice rings off the walls. “Donghyuck has to be with his family. You can’t do this to him, mom. You can’t!”

“He’ll be better off where he’s going.”

“You don’t know that! God, all you think about is yourself. How you feel, what will make _you_ better. Have you even once thought about how Donghyuck feels?”

At the sound of the front door, Jungwoo steps back to look. Donghyuck’s jacket and shoes are gone. He closes his eyes and sighs. When he opens them, Liu Wen is tilting her head up so she can glare down her nose at him. He knows he’s stepping over the line. He knows that he’s going to hear about it later. Even still, he doesn’t care.

He snatches up the lunch he made from himself last night, and marches towards the foyer. His bag is already there, waiting.

His mother shouts, “Jungwoo!”

“You know what?” he snaps when she comes into view at the kitchen doorway. “If you weren’t such a bitter, angry person you’d be able to see that Donghyuck is a good kid! Despite how awful you treat him, he wants to be here, and I want him here. He deserves _nothing_ you put him through. He doesn’t complain, he doesn’t fight it. He takes it in stride every day and he does his best to stay out of your way because he knows you hate him! So, you know what, mother? Do what you want. Just know that if you get rid of him, I’m leaving, too, and I’ll get him back. Watch me.”

The door slams behind him, cutting off his mother’s retorts. His hands are shaking when he unlocks his jeep and gets in. He lets out a trembling breath, gripping at the steering wheel. He wants to scream. He wants to cry. He’s not going to, though. He can’t. Not right now.

It takes a few minutes until he’s calm enough to start the jeep and pull out of the driveway. He can feel his phone buzzing and he has a sneaking suspicion it’s Taeyong, except he can’t look while he’s driving. By the time he gets to school and parks, his breathing has evened out despite his mind still racing and his heart is still pounding. Never has he wanted to punch something so much in his life.

He slams his hands against the top of the wheel and shouts. His face falls into his hands. Inhaling slowly, he reaches into his pocket to grab his phone.

 **Taeyong** :

_You shouldn’t drive while angry._

_Be safe._

_Donghyuck is at school._

_Call me when you can._

He will call him. Later. Right now, he wants to go into school and make sure Donghyuck is with his friends and then go to class and not think about his mother, about the social worker, about anything related to life right now.

The school is fairly empty, as it usually is when Jungwoo arrives in the morning, so it shouldn’t have been so hard to find Donghyuck. Except it is. Jungwoo wanders the halls, ducking into bathrooms and peeking under the stairwells. He tries to text him. There’s no response.

After another twenty minutes, with more students slowly trickling in, Jungwoo finally finds him. Standing in the middle of the gym is Donghyuck. He turns at the sound of the door and, almost instantly, he grins. Jungwoo knows it’s fake.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he tells him. It doesn’t matter how softly he talks. His voice still carries like thunder. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for Mark,” Donghyuck says. “He wants to get in some practice before school starts, but he hasn’t arrived yet. I think Lucas is coming, too.”

When Donghyuck wiggles his eyebrows, Jungwoo rolls his eyes and drops his bag on the bleachers. “We need to talk.”

“Are you and Lucas eloping? Come on, man. I wanted to be the best man. Can I come?”

He shoves down the idea of Lucas in a tux and wedding bells because, _no_ , just no. Sighing, he crosses his arms and says, “What did you hear this morning?”

Donghyuck isn’t looking at him anymore. He’s staring at the basket, high up on the wall. The silence in the gym physically hurts Jungwoo’s ears. It presses down on them uncomfortably.

Then, Donghyuck laughs. It’s low, dragging up from his throat, and completely devoid of any sort of humor. “I guess I should start packing, huh? Never thought I’d have to go into the system, but I guess it was only a matter of time, right?”

“No,” Jungwoo says. “I’m not letting them. I don’t care what they say. We’ll figure it out.”

“Don’t worry, Woo,” says Donghyuck. “I’m okay. Don’t worry about it, alright? I don’t mind.”

“Donghyuck—”

He smiles, slightly. “It’s fine. I promise.”

Jungwoo goes to respond when the door to the gym swings open. Mark and Lucas step in. They must feel some kind of tension because they stop mid-step, eyes flicking uneasily between Jungwoo and Donghyuck.

Mark frowns. “Everything okay?”

“Everything is fine, Markie!” Donghyuck calls to him, rushing over to his side and basically throwing himself into Mark’s arms. He’s lucky that Mark has practice catching him because otherwise he’d be face-planting the floor. “Jungwoo and I were just talking about the fact that he needs more fun in his life. He’s earlier than the teachers. Really, it’s unhealthy.”

Lucas chuckles. “He’s just dedicated.”

“And you’re whipped,” Donghyuck whispers a little too loudly. Jungwoo shoots him a glare. “Anyway, you still want to practice?”

“Probably should. We’ve got a game coming up. Still cool to do some hoops?” Mark turns the question to Lucas, who shrugs in response. “I’ll get the ball then.”

Donghyuck goes with him to the storage closet, winking at Jungwoo on the way past. Jungwoo has half a mind to reach out and smack him upside the head. Lucas hasn’t moved from his spot near the door. His hands are buried deep into his pockets and he’s smiling. When isn’t he? Jungwoo wonders. There’s always something for Lucas to smile about. It’s easy for him. So effortless.

“Hey,” Lucas greets. He takes careful steps to the center of the room where Jungwoo has taken root. “You okay?”

Jungwoo nods. “Fine. You?”

It doesn’t look like Lucas’ believes him because his eyebrows twitch into a frown for a moment. But then they straighten out and the corner of his lips are lifting into a crooked grin. “Doing good. Got word that I’ll be staying on the team. Might actually graduate on time, too.”

Those words ease something off Jungwoo’s shoulders and he bites his lip to keep his face in check because he’s so happy for him. So proud. Clearing his throat, he scruffs his shoes against the floor and says, “That’s great. That’s really, really great, Lucas. You deserve it.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I’m sure you would have found a way.”

Lucas shakes his head. “I liked this way better.”

His ears are warm. He can barely manage words and he hopes that Lucas will say something and save him from sputtering out some kind of nonsense.

He does.

“I actually wanted to ask you something,” Lucas says. “Any possible way I could take you somewhere tonight?”

“Oh.” Jungwoo hates how his heart jumps at the suggestion, at how much he wants to say yes. Right now, he just wants to be out, to distract himself. Still, he’s not sure it’s the best idea. “I have to babysit tonight.”

“After?”

Jungwoo wants to. It surprises him how much he wants to go. He can hear Donghyuck’s teasing words in his ears, about how he’s just so _whipped_ , but it feels like so much more than that. Lucas is watching him steady, round eyes and Jungwoo wants to do nothing but take his hand and drag him far away from school and…well, he’s not sure what. He hasn’t thought that far. But the ideas that pop into his head make him shake and he ruffles his hair to try and ignore them all. There are so many more important things to think about, things he doesn’t want to think about, and, _fuck_ , he’s just so conflicted he can’t make sense of anything.

He knows, with reluctance, he needs to handle a lot of things: his parents, Donghyuck, his future, even his feelings for Lucas. He just doesn’t know where to start and that’s the scary part.

“It’s okay if you can’t,” Lucas tells him. “We can do it another time. Or never, if you don’t want to. You probably don’t want to, right? It’s totally okay. I get it. I mean—”

“Lucas.”

He stops. “Yes?”

“Do you ever skip classes?”

“Sometimes. Why?”

“I think,” Jungwoo says, slowly, “I don’t want to be here today. Come with me?”

Lucas blinks. “Who are you and what have you done with Jungwoo?”

Chuckling, he steps up and grabs Lucas’ hand. He’s pulling him toward the door—swiping his bag up in the process—when Mark and Donghyuck come back out of the storage room with an orange basketball. Mark opens his mouth in question, but Jungwoo interrupts, “I’m stealing him! Have fun, you two!”

They’re running down the hall toward the exit. Jungwoo’s got a firm grip on Lucas, which he knows Lucas can easily break should he want to, but he doesn’t. He keeps up with Jungwoo, laughing the whole way. Jungwoo digs his keys from his pocket and unlocks the jeep. Poor Lucas has to slide the passenger seat back to make room for his legs.

“Where am I going?” Jungwoo asks as he starts the car. Lucas raises a brow. “You said you wanted to take me somewhere. Lead me.”

“You are just full of surprises, Kim.”

Jungwoo starts onto the road. Lucas tells him when to turn, when to continue. They’re pretty silent otherwise. Jungwoo is well aware that he’s going to hear about this from his parents. The school is going to call them when they find out he’s skipping the day and he’s also well aware that this ruins his perfect attendance, but, for some reason, he doesn’t care.

“Why are you always bringing me to place that look kind of sketchy?” Jungwoo teases as he follows Lucas’ instructions and parks along the side of the road. There’s a sign at the end of a pathway that leads into a forest. He’s not sure he’s ever been in this area before. It’s a little far from town for him.

“You thought the beach was sketchy?”

Jungwoo unbuckles his seatbelt and follows after Lucas. “Well, not the beach exactly. Just the fact that you didn’t tell me where we were going and then suddenly there were no buildings.”

“Remind me to take you to a farm,” Lucas chuckles and Jungwoo pushes him.

The path is uneven dirt, winding through tall trees that cover the majority of the sky. He wants to ask where they’re going, but he knows that Lucas won’t tell him. He’s becoming well versed in that fact. Lucas likes surprises. Or, at least, giving people surprises. Jungwoo’s always been impatient, however, and so it’s hard to keep on following, trying not to trip and ask too many questions.

They’ve been walking for almost twenty minutes, and Jungwoo is desperate at this point to know where they’re going, so he opens his mouth, except he doesn’t get a chance to. He can hear the sound of rushing water. Immediately, his ears perk.

“Lucas, where are we?”

He doesn’t get a verbal response. Lucas simply grins at him and beckons him onward. He’s barely crossed a line of trees when he came to a stop. His hand reaches out to grab Lucas’ sleeve as he takes in the U-shaped cliffside. There’s a stream flowing over the edge into the open water below. It’s pretty, quiet, and hidden from the world. Jungwoo thinks it’s perfect.

“What is this place?” he asks as he moves around the edge, looking down. It’s not a far drop, but it’s a drop nonetheless and he’s pretty sure if someone did fall, they would have to be careful not to land on something they didn’t want to.

“I found it a few years ago,” Lucas explains. “When I went hiking with my mom. I thought you might like it.”

He nods, eyes trailing out into the blue body of water that seems to go on forever. “I do. I love it.”

He goes to say something else, glancing over his shoulder, and yelps. He doesn’t mean for it to come out, but it does because, good _god_ , Lucas is stripping out of his shirt and Jungwoo’s brain is short circuiting.

“What are you doing?” he squeaks, unintentionally, and he turns away.

He can hear Lucas chuckling at him, low and deep and his heart seriously needs to stop trying to run away from him. It’s supposed to stay in his chest.

“Come on, we’re going swimming,” is the response he gets.

He whirls around and almost slams his eyes shut. He doesn’t, though. It’s nearly impossible not to look at Lucas now, all slender muscles and strong arms and…Jungwoo frowns, the boy has abs and that’s just not fighting fairly at all. He’s kicking off his pants when he grins at Jungwoo and stands there with his boxers on, hands on his hips.

“Swimming?” Jungwoo manages to scrape out.

Lucas nods. “Yeah, come on.”

Then he does what Jungwoo isn’t expecting. He races to the edge of the cliff and jumps. Jungwoo swears his heart stops. He rushes to check when he hears a loud splash.

“Lucas!” he calls out when he doesn’t see him resurface. “Lucas!”

Just when he thinks that he might have just watched someone die and realizing that he has now idea how to handle a situation like that, Lucas breaks through the surface with force. He laughs and waves up at Jungwoo. “Join me!”

“You’re crazy!”

“And you need to have more fun!” Jungwoo jumps when Lucas appears at his side with a loud crack. He’s soaking wet, droplets in his hair and his chest glistening with water. Jungwoo tries to keep his eyes up as Lucas says, “Woo, strip and jump.”

“That sounds so wrong,” he mutters, but he’s already pulling his shirt over his head. Honestly, he’s lucky that he’s not self-conscious of his body. He’s not built like Lucas, but he’s still strong and he still looks good. Jungwoo isn’t stupid. He knows he’s handsome. He just doesn’t flaunt it. He takes off his shoes and his pants—thankful he’s not wearing one of the many joke boxers Donghyuck likes to get him for Christmas each year and instead chosen a darker pair this morning—and crosses his arms.

Lucas’ has stopped smiling. His eyes are trailing up Jungwoo, taking him in inch by inch and it doesn’t feel too bad, Jungwoo thinks. When they make eye contact, Lucas’ cheeks are flushed when he smiles. Then, he throws out a hand and gestures Jungwoo towards the edge.

“This is nuts,” he says as he peers down again. “This is absolutely bonkers. What if I die?”

“You’re not going to die. I do this often. Nothing down there is going to kill you. Besides, you really think I’d make you do something that I thought would hurt you? I care about you a lot more than that.”

Jungwoo tries to keep himself from blushing, but he can already feel his ears warm. “I don’t think I can.”

“Of course, you can,” insists Lucas as he marches up to stand beside him. “Take a run and just jump.”

“I don’t know…”

“I’ll jump with you,” comes the suggestion.

Jungwoo worries his bottom lip. “Fine.”

Except, he doesn’t move when Lucas heads back towards the tree line. He’s still standing at the edge, watching the waterfall mist at the bottom. He’s not scared of water. He never has been. But he doesn’t like falling to his death.

“It’ll be fine,” Lucas tells him, reaching forward to take his hand and lace their fingers together. He’s still wet and his skin is cool against Jungwoo’s. “Do you trust me?”

Does he? He’s known Lucas for a couple months now and they’re probably friends even though he knows it’s a bad idea. Still, he looks at Lucas and he knows. He knows Lucas would never hurt him, never wrong him.

He squeezes Lucas’ hand. “Yes.”

The smile he gets takes his breath away. Lucas nods. “On three, then. Run and jump.”

“Run and jump,” he repeats, quietly.

“One.”

Jungwoo is going to die.

“Two.”

He’s going to die holding a cute boy’s hand, but he’s going to die.

“Three!”

He’s pulled with Lucas as he races towards the edge. And he jumps.

The fall isn’t long, but his stomach joins his pounding heart on the way down regardless. It’s a thrill he hasn’t felt in a long time. His body hits the water. It’s cold, but it feels amazing. Bubbles and foam fill his vision as he twists in the water, legs kicking to resurface. He breaks through, coughing and sputtering and the water clings to him in a way that’s calming and feels so natural. Lucas is beside him within seconds, splashing water around him and straight into Jungwoo’s face. He pushes his hair from his eyes and laughs.

“I told you,” Lucas says, a little breathless from keeping himself afloat. “How did that feel?”

“Amazing,” he admits, smiling.

It’s so easy around Lucas. It feels effortless and Jungwoo doesn’t hate it. He puts himself on his back, floating. The walls of the cliff close around them in a U-shape with sky a pale blue looming overhead. It’s kind of perfect.

Something is suddenly pushing him up out of the water. He barely manages a scream before he’s tossed and he hits the water again, sinking under for a brief moment. He throws out a hand and a wave of water hits Lucas in the face.

“Don’t do that!”

Lucas is still laughing despite getting a face full of water. “Have some fun, Woo. We’re out here to have fun.”

“I skipped class and went cliff diving,” he says, splashing Lucas again. “I’m having fun.”

“Are you?”

The skepticism in his tone doesn’t go unmissed. Jungwoo supposes he should have expected it. There are a lot of people in his life that think he can’t have fun, doesn’t know how to. It’s just that he doesn’t have the time. Doesn’t have the energy most days.

And yet, here he is. Blowing off school, blowing off all his responsibilities. It’s worth it in this moment. He feels…light.

Lucas grins at him, white teeth flashing, and Jungwoo splashes him. Water slaps him in the face right back. He’s laughing when Lucas wraps his arms around him and pushes him under the surface—just for a short moment—and Jungwoo tackles him backwards. They fall together, water rippling out in large waves.

When they resurface, Jungwoo almost inhales a mouthful of water from laughing so much and Lucas is just as bad. It takes a few moments to gather his breath and calm himself. When he does, he finds Lucas watching him, eyes crinkled at the edges and mouth still curled. A droplet of water falls from a lock of hair, slipping down his nose to his lips and Jungwoo finds it impossible to look away.

“You know,” Jungwoo says, legs still kicking. They’re starting to hurt, but he pushes through. He’s not ready to get out yet. “I think this might be the best day I’ve had in a long time.”

“Does it beat the beach?” Lucas inquires, playfully.

Jungwoo shakes his head. “That was the best _night_. This is the best _day_. Keep up, Wong.”

“Well, at least we’ve covered all twenty-four hours.”

Jungwoo chuckles. He pushes himself back until he’s against the cliff wall and his feet can find place on the rocks. His legs thank him. Lucas swims over to the waterfall and lets it run over his head before shaking it like a giant dog. Stray droplets hit Jungwoo.

“I feel like I need to thank you,” Jungwoo says. “Again. You didn’t need to come with me, but you did. You didn’t need to take me here, but you did. I guess I just appreciate it.”

Lucas runs his fingers through his wet hair. He’s still kicking and Jungwoo is somewhat envious of his stamina. “I figured you needed it. It looked like you did, anyway. Rough morning?”

Staring at the water around him, Jungwoo nods. “Just a bit. My parents aren’t listening and I don’t know how to get through to them. Typical teenage son and parent relationship, huh?”

“That’s not all it is,” Lucas says. “Not really.”

Jungwoo presses his lips into a thin line. Lucas has moved closer, head weighted to one side, patient.

“Do you ever feel like everything is out of your control? That, no matter what you do, it’s just slipping through your fingers anyway? And then you just wonder why try at all if things are just going to go horribly wrong in the end? I’m constantly thinking why I put myself through what I do and then I remember and I just continue to do it over and over again, and I don’t think it’ll end. Ever.”

For a moment, Lucas is quiet. He’s not looking at Jungwoo. His eyes have landed on the horizon, where the water meets clear sky. Then he says, “I think you take on too much. You don’t think about yourself. You think about others. A lot.” His eyes flick to Jungwoo’s. “It’s not a bad thing. I think it’s kind of admirable. But I think there’s so much pressure on you that you forget to come up to breathe every now and again. You’re pretty selfless.”

“I think I’m selfish,” he mutters.

Lucas frowns. “Why?”

“I’m not doing what I should be doing. Hell, I’m out here swimming when I should be at school. It’s just hard because I feel like I’m not enough sometimes. There are so many things I should be doing and I’m here complaining like a fucking loser.”

“You’re allowed to want a life, Jungwoo. You’re allowed to rant and complain and vent. You’re human. You have to get it all off your chest.” Lucas sighs. “You’re so much more than you think. I wish you could see that. You deserve so much more than you give yourself credit for.”

“Why are you here, Lucas?” Jungwoo’s voice is quiet, barely heard over the rush of the waterfall.

The water moves with Lucas as he drifts closer. He’s inches away and Jungwoo can’t think of how to get away. He doesn’t think he wants to.

“Because I want to,” is Lucas’ answer. “Because I like you and I want you to know that you have no expectations with me. Not now. Not ever.”

Jungwoo is lost in his gaze. It’s soft, but it sees into him with such intensity that it makes him shiver. He can practically taste the anticipation on his tongue as Lucas’ hands plant themselves on either side of Jungwoo’s head, flat against the rocky cliff-side. The water is cold, but he’s feeling so warm right now. Suffocated in whatever is happening.

Lucas’ eyes flick about his face until they land on Jungwoo’s lips. Jungwoo takes in his soft features, the long lashes, the way his wet hair clings to his forehead. It takes all his willpower not to reach out and touch him, to feel him beneath his fingertips.

He’s already gasping when Lucas finally leans in. Their lips are barely brushing. Jungwoo’s eyes flutter closed, but Lucas doesn’t move. His heart is pounding in his chest, in his ears. He can sense Lucas waiting, as if giving him a way out.

“Is this—”

Jungwoo grabs him by the back of the neck and crashes his lips into Lucas’. It’s a little more aggressive than he planned, but he’s not completely sure he’s thinking straight. He’s more preoccupied with the way Lucas slants his lips against his. He tastes like river water and Jungwoo isn’t really complaining.

Kissing Lucas feels like it did when he jumped from the cliff. Every kiss is like hitting the water, every brush of his hand on his skin feels like coming up for air. He presses closer, winding his arms around Lucas’ neck, and he wonders if he can survive like this, simply breathing him in, kissing him.

It’s addictive and a thrill and Jungwoo is sure his heart will actually escape his chest this time. Maybe it’ll run off with Lucas’. It seems to be pounding just as hard. He can feel his pulse beneath his thumb, against his own chest. There are hands in his hair and they tug and Jungwoo keens. Positively _keens_.

He melts into Lucas as his hands slip down to Jungwoo’s waist. A thigh slips between his legs and Jungwoo gasps.

Then it feels like ice water is poured over his head. He rips away, pressing himself against the cliff wall, panting.

He can’t believe he just did that. This isn’t what he planned. This wasn’t in his plan at all. He presses his hands to his eyes. He’s messing everything up and he needs to stop kidding himself. He needs to snap back to reality.

“Jungwoo,” Lucas whispers. His fingers brush Jungwoo’s arm and Jungwoo flinches. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry,” he says. “I can’t do this.”

He gently pushes Lucas away and moves to the side of the cliff where the rocks have formed a semi-path up to the top. His legs are shaky as he heaves himself out of the water and starts up the side. He can hear Lucas following him.

He’s an idiot. A complete idiot. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Jungwoo! Come on, talk to me. Please.”

When he makes it to the top, he waves a hand over himself. The water peels from his skin, his hair, his boxers, and leaves him dry. He’s still trembling—from the cold or from his anxiety, he’s not sure—when he pulls on his pants.

A hand grips his arms and spins him around. “Talk to me. What’s going on? Why are you running?”

“This was a mistake,” he breathes. He snatches his shirt off the ground and shakes out his hair. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have done any of this. This wasn’t my plan.”

“What are you talking about?” Poor Lucas looks confused and Jungwoo doesn’t blame him. He’s a little confused, too.

“This! All of this!” He groans and covers his ears because he doesn’t know what else to do with them. Then he throws his arms out in frustration. “I wasn’t supposed to like you. I didn’t want to like you at all. I wanted to do my job and follow my plan through.”

“Your plan. So, I’m just an inconvenience?”

Jungwoo feels like he’s been slapped. And, honestly, he should have been. “Lucas, that’s not what I meant. I just…I have a way things need to go and liking you just doesn’t fit.”

He watches as Lucas straightens, his hand falling away. There’s an expression on his face Jungwoo can’t read and it scares him. There are no smiles, no twinkling eyes. It’s cold.

“I get it,” he states. “I’m a distraction.”

It hurts. Everything hurts. “I—””

“Did you ever think that maybe you should just let yourself do something you want for a change?”

Jungwoo winces. “I can’t. I can’t do that. It’s…I need to think about more than just me, Lucas.”

Dawning crosses Lucas’ face, eyebrows softening from their frown. “You aren’t doing this for your parents, are you? You’re doing it for Donghyuck. All of it.”

“He needs me.”

Lucas scoffs and steps away. “You really think he wants you to not live your life? Do you think he’s going to be happy to know that you’re ruining all your chances?”

“I’m not,” Jungwoo snaps. “This is what I need to do. I need the marks to get into a good school, to get a good job, so that I can take Donghyuck in when he’s graduated high school. Whatever is happening between us is a selfish thing that I thought I could trick myself into having, but I can’t do that. I need to focus on Donghyuck and making his life better.”

“You’re destroying your own chances at happiness!”

“I’m making chances for _his_ happiness!” The backs of his eyes are burning. He’s not going to cry. He refuses to cry. “Donghyuck deserves everything in the world. Not me! He should get a happy life, a good life. He’s always been given a shitty hand and I want to help him.”

Shaking his head, Lucas says, “This isn’t what he would want. He loves you, Jungwoo. He wouldn’t want you to be killing yourself and ruining your life to try and make his better. Can you imagine how he’d feel if he found that out?”

“He doesn’t need to. He’ll never know.”

“He’s not stupid, Jungwoo.”

“Don’t you think I know that!” he shouts. “I fucking know that! You don’t get it. You’ll never get it, Lucas.”

“I don’t care if I get it or not. I care whether or not you’re being good to yourself and you’re not. It hurts to see, Jungwoo. I like you too much to let you do this to yourself. Donghyuck would understand.”

Jungwoo shakes his head, not wanting to hear it. He sniffles, trying to keep the tears from falling. He’s about to say something else when his phone buzzes in his pocket. Wiping at his nose, he pulls it out. His heart immediately clenches painfully.

There are twenty-seven messages from Taeyong and five missed calls from Mark.

 **Taeyong** :

_Pick up your phone_

_Fuck Jungwoo pick it up_

_Mark needs you_

_It’s Donghyuck_

He barely registers the words on his lock screen as it shifts to a call. From Mark.

He answers it. “Mark? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, thank god!” His voice is a little higher than normal, panic slipping through. It puts Jungwoo on high alert, his back straightening. “Jungwoo, you need to come quick. Now. It’s Donghyuck.”

“Breathe and tell me what’s happening?” He’s trying to keep his tone as even as possible, but he’s struggling. Lucas is suddenly at his side, brows furrowed. He puts Mark on speaker.

“I don’t know how to stop it. You need to come now. He—He just started the fire and I can’t get to him. Jungwoo, I can’t fucking get to him and I don’t know how to talk to him and I’m fucking _terrified_ and you need to come _now_.”

Mark’s words come out as fast as Jungwoo and Lucas’ footsteps.

Lucas, struggling to dress himself while they race along the path, asks, “Where are you?”

“Donghyuck’s old house. Or his new house. I don’t fucking know anymore. Jungwoo, I can’t reach him!”

“I know,” Jungwoo says. He tosses his phone to Lucas and climbs into the driver’s seat. “We’re coming now. You need to make sure no one gets near the fire, understood? And you need to try and calm yourself because that’s what Donghyuck needs. He needs an anchor.”

“Fucking good that’ll do if I can’t even talk to him because he’s put up fucking barriers.”

It’s an odd sound to his ears, Mark swearing. He’s always so good about it, but Jungwoo also knows that Mark is not calm, not in his right frame of mind, is probably going crazy trying to come up with a way to get to Donghyuck.

They’re speeding down the road and he doesn’t care if a police car chases them because he’s not fucking stopping. Not when Donghyuck needs him. He’s barely paying attention to the conversation anymore. Lucas is talking to Mark, trying to calm him down. He isn’t sure it’s working, but he appreciates the effort.

He tugs on the wheel and they both fall to the side. Lucas grips at the door handle the whole way. They haven’t even made it into the neighborhood where Donghyuck’s old house used to be and Jungwoo can already see the black smoke curling high into the blue sky. He presses on the pedal.

The car swings, wheels squealing, as he turns the corner. He slams on the breaks. The house—or the framework of the half-build house—is covered in flames. They eat at the wood, twisting up into the air. He’s already coughing when he gets out of the car to race towards the scene. There are some neighbors out, watching from a distance, and he pushes his way through.

Mark is on the sidewalk, as close as he can get, screaming for Donghyuck. His wide eyes snap to Jungwoo as he gets closer and he practically flings himself into Jungwoo’s arms, grip tight.

“We need to get to him. I don’t know how to get to him.”

It’s hot. It feels like it’s searing every inch of his exposed skin. His eyes feel dry when he gazes at the bonfire before him, flames high and angry. They lash out and Mark and Jungwoo stumble back. It happens just for a moment, but he catches sight on Donghyuck, huddled in the middle of the construction site. Then he’s covered in fire again.

“We need to get to him,” Jungwoo says, gripping Lucas’ arm.

“I can teleport in.”

Jungwoo shakes his head. “No, you could get hurt. Mark, did you call the emergencies?”

“They said they were coming,” Mark says. He’s trembling. His hands are struggling to find somewhere to grasp, something to do. Right now, Jungwoo needs him to breathe and calm down because he doesn’t need a panic attack and Donghyuck’s going to need his help.

The screeching of tires gains his attention. He sees the familiar truck of Johnny’s, and Taeyong is practically throwing himself from the passenger seat before it’s even come to a stop. He’s at their side in no time, hand resting on Jungwoo for a brief moment before gripping at Mark’s shoulders and pulling him close.

“Breathe,” he whispers. “In and out. That’s it. It’s okay. Just breathe.” He looks over his shoulder. “Jungwoo, if we don’t get this stopped now Donghyuck could be in some serious trouble when the police show up.”

“I know. I need water. Johnny—”

But Johnny’s already got the right idea. He’s grips at the fire hydrant a few feet away and yanks on it. The metal groans before completely giving out, the concrete crumbling in the process. Water erupts like a geyser. Several bystanders shuffle back.

Jungwoo doesn’t have time to think. He’s shoving Lucas towards Johnny and throwing a hand towards the fire. The water arches high above them, slamming into the half-made walls of the house. Hissing fills the air and so does steam. Jungwoo can feel the sweat forming along his forehead as he drags around his other hand, the water stream splitting into two. The contact is only enough to give him fleeting moments of Donghyuck before the fire strengthens and covers the house again. He’s curled up, knees to his chest and head down.

“He’s in some kind of trance,” Taeyong says from beside him. His eyes are locked ahead, where Donghyuck is sitting, drowning himself in flames. “His mind is a mess. I can’t—I can’t get a read.”

“How long has he been here? Shit!” Jungwoo’s concentration slips for just a moment and the water backfires on him, trying to return to its original job of shooting into the sky from the broken hydrant. It hits them—soaking them to the bone in the process—until he can get a handle on it and force it towards the house again.

Unless Donghyuck can stop the fire, there isn’t much his power can do but keep it from spreading throughout the neighborhood. It’s straining. He hasn’t used this much energy in a long time. He’s not sure he can hold on any longer.

“Maybe an hour? Two, at most,” Taeyong replies. “I barely registered it until Mark started freaking out. I don’t have that strong of a grip on Donghyuck like I do with you guys. I’m so sorry.”

“This isn’t your fault. It’s mine. I knew he was struggling and I did nothing about it.”

“You did what you could,” Taeyong snaps, his voice just loud enough to be heard over rushing water and roaring flames. “Don’t you dare say this is your fault.”

His hands are shaking and he can feel the pressure in the back of his mind. He needs to hold on for Donghyuck because if he can’t get him out of there the police will definitely have some choice words and then everything will go to shit.

Not that it hasn’t already.

He inhales sharply as the water fights back at him. His body doesn’t like this. It can’t handle this. “I don’t think I can hold on any longer.”

“If you can clear a way, I can teleport in there,” Lucas says from his other side.

“No. I told you already, you could get hurt and—”

“Shit!” It’s Taeyong. He’s turning around, searching. “Mark.”

Jungwoo only just hears the name before he watches in complete horror as Mark goes running towards the walls of flames. He moves quickly, throwing water on the flames just as Mark takes a leap through the frame work. He disappears.

“Mark!” Taeyong shouts. He goes to move forward, but Johnny catches his arm. “MARK!”

The water slips from him completely and he’s falling. Luckily, Lucas catches him. The fire is high, burning and angry and aggressive and Jungwoo isn’t sure how to stop it. He can only hope that Mark knows what he’s doing.

“I’m going.”

Jungwoo grips Lucas’ arm, stopping him from leaving. “No. You can’t.”

The only response he gets is a half-smile. Then there’s a crack and Lucas is gone.

Crawling onto his hands and knees, Jungwoo stares at the house. He’s desperate. He’s upset. He’s scared. God, he’s so scared he doesn’t think he can move, can look away. His fingers scrape along the sidewalk as he curls his hands into fists, nerves pulled tight.

He hears Taeyong exhale, long and deep and so full of relief. The fire is dying down. Soon, there’s a crack and Lucas, Mark, and Donghyuck are on the sidewalk beside him. Mark has his arms wrapped around Donghyuck’s shoulders, holding him close, whispering in his ear, but Donghyuck doesn’t seem to be listening. In fact, he doesn’t look conscious at all.

Jungwoo’s heart stops.

He scrambles over, reaching out to touch Donghyuck’s arm. Jungwoo rips his hands away. His skin is scorching hot. He’s not sure how Mark is even holding onto Donghyuck right now. However, he catches sight of the red skin of Mark’s arms, the way it’s starting to blister, and he knows. He understands.

From over their heads, Lucas appears fine, albeit a little exhausted. He catches Jungwoo’s eye and nods. They’re okay. They’re all okay.

And even as the emergency vehicles pull up, when the fire has completely dissipated and the paramedics are taking Mark and Donghyuck away. Even when the police ask them questions and Jungwoo climbs into the back of the ambulance, Lucas watching him leave from the sidewalk, he thinks everything will be okay.

He’ll make sure of it.

*

The beeping of the monitors is annoying. This is what Jungwoo finds out as he waits beside Donghyuck’s bed, who’s still asleep and unknowing. He’s not injured, but his body has practically given out on him. His powers zapped him dry.

Jungwoo holds his hand and runs his thumb over Donghyuck’s knuckles. They’re a little scraped up. Probably from all the parkour he likes to do now. Jungwoo’s seen him wipe out on multiple occasions as he practices. One day, he’ll be great at it. Jungwoo is proud.

The nurses told him Donghyuck would be fine, but it’s been hours and each passing one worries him even more. Taeyong had texted him, saying he had dealt with the police. Whatever that meant, Jungwoo didn’t want to know. Still, he was glad that was one thing he didn’t need to worry about. It wasn’t like his parents needed another thing to hate Donghyuck for.

It shouldn’t be this hard. Things weren’t supposed to be this hard. He just wanted to make things better for Donghyuck, not ruin everything else in the process. He’s not even sure how he’s supposed to talk to Lucas again. To tell him he’s sorry. To tell him thank you.

Lucas had been right, he supposes. Donghyuck would hate what he’s been doing, complain about it. But Jungwoo knew he needed a solid life to support Donghyuck and get him away from his parents. He was desperate and determined. Even if it meant sacrificing something he wanted, or someone, like Lucas.

The monitors beep.

Donghyuck’s fingers twitch.

Perking, Jungwoo straightens, hand tightening on Donghyuck’s. He watches as Donghyuck’s eyelashes flutter, his nose wrinkle, and then he’s waking up all groggy and disoriented.

“Duckie?”

Donghyuck squints against the awful hospital lighting. “What—Where am I?”

“In the hospital. You had an episode,” he explains softly. “Do you need anything?”

“Water.”

Jungwoo reaches over to the table where the nurse had left a cup. He places the straw in Donghyuck’s mouth and lets him drink. All the while, he’s just so fucking relieved.

“You really scared me, kid,” he says.

The straw falls from Donghyuck’s mouth. “I don’t really remember what happened. I know Mark and I skipped class. We ended up at my place.” His face twists. “My _old_ place.”

“You set it on fire,” he tells him, putting the cup down and brushing Donghyuck’s hair from his eyes. “Do you remember that?”

“No.” A pause. Abruptly, he’s sitting up, the blankets spilling around his waist as he turns to Jungwoo with wide eyes. “Mark. Is he okay? Where is he?”

Taking his shoulders, Jungwoo tries to get him to lie down again. “He’s fine. Kun dropped by. Healed him right up. They were just minor injuries. He’s resting. Which is what you should be doing.”

“I’m sorry,” Donghyuck whispers. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do it. It just happened. I was so angry.”

Jungwoo figures the memories would come back relatively quickly. Years ago, when Donghyuck’s house burned down, he had been missing a few pieces before they slowly slotted back into place. His parents had talked it up as if Donghyuck had been trying to pretend he wasn’t involved. Jungwoo knew better.

Donghyuck presses the heels of his hands to his eyes. “Fuck. I can’t believe I did that. I set it on fucking fire _again_. Maybe I am just a hazard.”

“Hey,” Jungwoo says, pulling Donghyuck’s hands away and locking eyes with his. “Your parents’ death wasn’t your fault. You were eleven. You had no idea how to control yourself. You were asleep, Donghyuck. You had no idea.”

He pulls him into a hug when tears well in Donghyuck’s eyes. He finds himself perched on the bed, Donghyuck’s arms tight around his middle, shoulders shaking and fingers clutching at the back of Jungwoo’s shirt as if his life depends on it.

“We’ll get through it, Hyuck,” Jungwoo promises into his hair. “We’ll figure it out together, okay?”

It takes several minutes for Donghyuck to calm himself. When he does, he leans back and wipes at his eyes with the bed sheet. “I know why you do what you do.”

Jungwoo blinks. “What?”

“You’re working yourself into the ground for me, aren’t you? You pushed Lucas away because of me.” Donghyuck looks at him with red-rimmed eyes. “You really like him and he really likes you. Don’t ruin it, please. I’d be miserable if I knew you messed up your chances solely because you wanted me to be happy.”

“Donghyuck, I—”

The door to the room opens and they both look over. Jungwoo tenses when he sees his mother enter the room. She catches sight of Jungwoo and sighs, as if he had been the one on fire and not Donghyuck.

“They called and said there was an accident.” Her sharp eyes turn to Donghyuck. “You—”

Jungwoo is on his feet, planting himself between Donghyuck and his mother. “It’s not his fault.”

“Not his fault? His fire destroyed the house, Jungwoo.”

“Do you blame him for being upset? Bloody hell. I would have burned the place to the ground, too, if I could. You can’t keep attacking him.”

“Jungwoo,” Donghyuck says, voice small, “it’s okay.”

“No,” he spats. “It’s not okay. I stand by what I said this morning. I’m not changing my mind.”

Liu Wen crosses her arms and straightens. “I know. That’s why he’s not going anywhere.”

“What?” Jungwoo asks, the same time Donghyuck questions, “Excuse me?”

“The social worker overheard your words, Jungwoo. She’s not happy.” He watches as Liu Wen presses two fingers to her temple and closes her eyes. “I managed to defuse the situation. If she wrenches Donghyuck away because of possible abuse it reflects badly on your father and me. She’s giving us a chance to prove her wrong. She’ll be doing bi-weekly check-ins to see how things are going for several months. And she wants those meetings with you.”

Jungwoo isn’t sure what to say. All the words have left him. He’s happy, but there are so many things he knows still need to be fixed.

“You _will_ stay at the house and do what your father and I tell you. You will go to school, you will graduate, you will go to university. There is no room for argument. We’ve spent too many years building you up, that I’m not going to let Donghyuck tear you down. And if you leave and take him with you, he will.”

“He would never,” Jungwoo says. “Donghyuck’s not like that. You need to stop blaming him for Aunt’s death. He didn’t mean it. He was a child. You’re an adult, learn to be one.”

“Jungwoo, I won’t be spoken to like that.”

“But you’ll do it to Donghyuck? To me?” he snaps. “I’ll stay. I’ll stay because of Donghyuck. But as soon as he’s old enough, as soon as we can, we are leaving you.”

“You’ll still owe us.”

“I don’t need your money. I don’t need anything you give me. I’m living in your house because you desperately want to keep up a façade of a happy family for your coworkers, not because I need you. I’ll make my own way. We both will.”

She goes to say something, goes to fight back, when the door opens again and the doctor and nurse step in.

“Ah, we’re all here then? Donghyuck’s aunt, I assume?” The doctor shakes her hand. Dr. Song is a kind man, well-informed. At least, that’s what Jungwoo has gathered from his short interactions with him over the last few hours. “Well, looks like you’re awake, Donghyuck. How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” he replies. He looks it. There are dark circles under his eyes, his golden skin a little paler than normal. “Can I leave?”

“We’re going to keep you here a few days,” Dr. Song informs him. “Nothing to worry about. Just some standard checks. Seems that your power is just a little unusual and we want to keep an eye on it for a bit.”

“Unusual?” Jungwoo inquires.

“Donghyuck, you’ve had an incident like this before, correct?”

Beside him, Liu Wen tenses. Jungwoo notices the way Donghyuck flinches, nodding slightly.

“What does that have to do with anything?” asks Liu Wen, voice tight.

“Pyrokinesis is a rare ability,” says Dr. Song. “It’s controlling fire. An outside fire, of course. To take it from a match or a lighter, to bend it to one’s will. Your power, Donghyuck, is very different. Even rarer. You can create your own fire, from inside of you. This power is harder to control. If your emotions aren’t in check, if there is no way to stop yourself, it will lash out.”

Jungwoo frowns. He’s never paid attention to the way Donghyuck’s powers worked. He’s never known any other fire users. Never done the research. Jungwoo’s pretty sure his mother is the same because, after all these years, she’s assumed Donghyuck could have complete control over himself and just simply chose not to.

He wonders. “The first incident, Donghyuck said he was asleep.”

“Ah, yes. Nightmare, maybe?” Dr. Song directs the question at Donghyuck, who nods once again. “A child can’t control what they feel in dreams, no more than an adult can. A typical fire user wouldn’t have a problem, but with Donghyuck, it makes things a little trickier and a little more untamed. Donghyuck’s power is dangerous, yes, but with a little emotional control and a little help from some suppressants he should be able to get a better handle on it.” He takes out a pill bottle from his pocket and spills out a red pill. “Two a day, I think. One in the morning, one at night. It should balance a few things out. If not, we’ll up the dosage. Well, I think I’ll let you all settle for a bit and come check on you a little later tonight, all right?”

Donghyuck swallows the pill, hands shaky. When he looks back up, he says, “It wasn’t my fault?”

“No,” Jungwoo replies. He looks to his mother. She’s quiet, eyes glued to the floor, and arms still crossed. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Liu Wen lifts her gaze to Jungwoo. “You’re coming home tonight. We’ll get Donghyuck when he’s released.” Then, she looks at Donghyuck, as if she’s seeing him for the first time in a long time. “I still don’t forgive you. Your fire took my sister.”

“And it took my mother and my father,” says Donghyuck. “I lost just as much as you.”

“Yes,” Liu Wen mutters. “I suppose you did. Call Jungwoo when you’re ready to come home. We’ll…We’ll sort this out.”

Then she’s gone.

Jungwoo lowers himself at the end of Donghyuck’s bed. “I’m not sure what to think anymore.”

“Neither do I.”

“I can’t ever understand her,” he says with a shake of his head. “One minute, she wants to boot you to the side of the road, the next she’s keeping you just to keep me, and now…I’m not even sure?”

Donghyuck’s lips pull into a small smile. “I’m not going to fight it. At least I still have a roof over my head and we get to stick together, right?”

“Right.” He ruffles Donghyuck’s hair and his hand is slapped away. “Brat.”

Donghyuck sticks his tongue out at him.

Well, it’s not the most perfect of situations, but at least it’s settled things for a little while. It doesn’t matter what he needs to do in order to keep his mother where she is now because, right now, Donghyuck is safe, and he’s not going anywhere.

Unfortunately, there is still one more thing he needs to fix.

*

Jungwoo drums his fingers on the steering wheel. It’s early in the morning the next day. Donghyuck is still stuck at the hospital, complaining about the fact that he can’t go anywhere or eat decent food for the next couple days.

Things are home are still a bit shaky, but it feels less tense, he thinks. His mother hasn’t said a word to him since their chat at the hospital. Of course, he’s not complaining. He doesn’t have much to say, and he’s not even sure it would matter in the end. Their relationship will always be strained. There isn’t much to change that.

There is, however, another relationship he has to figure out. And the one person he needs to talk to is currently in the school he’s been staring at for the last twenty minutes. He had texted Mark for the details. Lucas is early today too, practicing in the gym. Jungwoo bites his lip and rests his chin on the wheel, blinking up at the school. His heart isn’t taking this lightly and neither is his stomach. But he has to do this. He knows he needs to.

So, he gets out of his jeep, grabbing his bag on the way, and heads into the school. He has to keep moving or he may turn tail and run. Oh, he would love to run away right now.

Except, he runs out of time to decide because he’s outside the gym doors. He can hear the thumping of the basketball and Lucas’ shoes against the flooring. They squeak so loud it echoes. Taking a deep breath, he pushes the door open.

Lucas is in the middle of the court, back to him, and Jungwoo is pretty sure he didn’t hear Jungwoo come in. He jumps, making a shot. The ball flies through the air, hits off the back, and right through the net. Lucas catches the ball, grabbing it mid-bounce, and turns.

He stills as he notices Jungwoo.

“Hi,” Jungwoo says.

Lucas simply blinks, almost as if he can’t tell if Jungwoo is there or not. Then, he’s suddenly in front of Jungwoo—the cracking noise startling Jungwoo—with wide eyes riddled with concern.

“How’s Donghyuck?” he asks. “I texted him, but he hasn’t answered me. Mark’s okay, I know that. He went home last night all healed up. Your friend Kun is handy, huh?”

Jungwoo opens and closes his mouth a few times. He hadn’t been expecting Lucas to actually talk to him. He figures he’d still be mad. Apparently, he needs to learn more about Lucas than he thought.

He takes in Lucas’ sweaty form and wonders how long he’s been practicing. Is he just trying to distract himself as much as Jungwoo had tried to last night with his homework?

“Yeah,” Jungwoo says. “He’s definitely handy. Um, Donghyuck is fine. They’re keeping him at the hospital for another couple days to monitor him. He fell asleep pretty quickly yesterday after the doctor visited. He’ll probably answer you today.”

Lucas sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Thank god. I’m really glad he’s okay.”

“Me, too.” Jungwoo grips his bag so hard his knuckles turn white. “I need to thank you.” Lucas raises a brow. “For helping Donghyuck and Mark. For jumping in there and getting them out. It was stupid and you could have gotten hurt, but thank you.”

“I care about them, too, Jungwoo,” says Lucas as he slips the ball under his arm. “I wasn’t going to leave them in there. Anyway, I should—”

“I’m sorry.” His voice rings off the walls and he ducks his head, ears warming. He can’t look at Lucas while he says this. He just can’t. “I’m so sorry for everything I put you through. That wasn’t fair of me and you didn’t deserve it. You…You were right. I can’t destroy my life for Donghyuck’s. I just—I was so desperate because the situation at home was getting worse and I needed to focus on making an out for us. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

Silence follows his words. He’s sure Lucas is going to nod to his words and go back to practice. He wouldn’t blame him if he did. There was no reason for Lucas to stick around now that Jungwoo had messed it up.

But, then, he feels fingers on his chin and his face is being tilted up. Lucas has moved closer. He’s hovering and Jungwoo couldn’t care less. He wants to reach out to him, but he keeps his hands on his bag.

Lucas’ lips twitch into a half-smile. His fingers are warm on Jungwoo’s skin. “You know, you really need to learn to relax, Woo.”

Jungwoo goes to say something, but Lucas kisses him and, _okay_ , he’s forgotten what he was saying. He can hear his bag hit the ground and the basketball thud against the floor a couple times before rolling away. Jungwoo wraps his arms around Lucas’ neck and pulls him closer. Lucas chuckles against his lips and grips his waist with such gentleness that makes Jungwoo want to melt into him.

When he leans back, Jungwoo’s eyes are still closed and his lips tingle. Slowly, he opens his eyes to see Lucas’ beaming at him. “I’m guessing we’re okay?”

“Yeah, we’re okay,” Lucas says, holding him close. “But if you ever try to drop me for another stupid reason, I’m going to give you a very stern talking to. Just so you know.”

“I’ve been warned.”

“Yes, you have.”

Jungwoo hums happily, dropping his head into the crook of Lucas’ neck. Lucas is sweaty, but, right now, all he wants is to be closer. He could deal with a bit of sweat. “Hey, this might be a bit premature, but how do you feel about dating?”

He can feel Lucas’ shoulders lift in a shrug. “I think it definitely has it’s pros and cons and lots of people fail miserably at it.”

Jungwoo swats at his arm and Lucas laughs. “I meant dating me!”

“Oh! Right, right.” Lucas shakes his head and tightens his hold. “I don’t think I’d have a problem with it. You?”

He knows his face is red. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“Then, that’s settled. Now, kiss me.”

“So bossy to your boyfriend.”

“Don’t be sarcastic right now. It ruins the mood.”

“But I—”

Lucas’ shuts him up with a kiss and, honestly, he’s totally fine with that.

*

“If you lead me into a wall or out into the middle of the street, I’m going to burn you alive.”

Jungwoo snorts as Mark—hands over Donghyuck’s eyes—leads him out into the backyard. Lucas laughs, hand squeezing Jungwoo’s.

Mark’s mouth pops open, brow furrowed. He looks very affronted. “Why would I do that? I’m not that mean.”

“Never trust the nice ones,” is Donghyuck’s response. “Does anyone want to tell me what this is about?”

“That would ruin the surprise,” says Jungwoo with a shake of his head.

“Was never a fan of surprises.”

They come to a stop and Mark releases Donghyuck, who opens his eyes. He barely notices what they actually want him to see because he’s turning to Mark and giving him a shove in the shoulder.

“Congrats, you didn’t kill me,” he says. Mark pinches his arm and Donghyuck yelps. “Abuse!”

“Would you actually look at your gift?” Jungwoo asks, reaching forward to take Donghyuck’s shoulders and turns him where he needs to look.

Donghyuck gapes a little for a moment before he rolls his eyes to Jungwoo. “I’m fourteen, not four.”

He swats at Donghyuck’s head. “Don’t be rude. We built this.”

That makes Donghyuck pause. “Built it? While I was in the hospital?”

Jerking his chin, Jungwoo says, “Check it out.”

He watches as Donghyuck shrugs and starts towards the ladder, which leads up to a decent sized treehouse. It’s not perfect. There are some crooked pieces here and there and it’s not that large, so Donghyuck and his friends are really going to have to squeeze in there, but he figures it’ll be good to give Donghyuck a place to go that’s close, safe, and all his own. Jungwoo hadn’t asked his mom or dad if he could do it. They had simply seen him, Lucas, and Mark working on it—pieces scattered across the lawn—and said nothing.

He thinks that’s a good sign. In some kind of way.

Mark is quick to follow Donghyuck up.

Donghyuck had been released from the hospital only a couple hours ago with a clean bill of health and a bottle of ability suppressants. Jungwoo had already made the alarms to remind him when to take them.

When they came home, Jungwoo’s mom had been walking down the stairs. She had stopped, stared blankly at Donghyuck and said, “You’re back.” Then, she had continued into the kitchen, leaving both Jungwoo and Donghyuck a little speechless. Perhaps, while it wasn’t the ideal situation, this was better than they could have hoped for.

Jungwoo isn’t expecting a big happy family. He isn’t even expecting his mother to get over her pain and love Donghyuck. Donghyuck isn’t expecting those either. But it doesn’t matter because they have each other and that’s better than anything.

“I think he secretly likes it,” Lucas says in his ear and Jungwoo smiles. Yeah, he thinks Donghyuck likes the treehouse, too. He can hear Donghyuck telling Mark to shove over. “Hey, you all right?”

Jungwoo nods. “Better than all right. I’m great. Wonderful, actually.”

Letting go of his hand, fingers find the belt loops of Jungwoo’s pants, and Lucas pulls him forward with a smile. He kisses him and Jungwoo sighs against his lips. If there’s one thing Jungwoo is happy about, it’s the fact that Lucas doesn’t hold grudges. He does, however, hold very long conversations about Jungwoo learning to be at least a little bit selfish. They’re still working on that.

Something hits him in the back of the head and Jungwoo jumps away from Lucas. A button from god-knows-where drops into the grass. Donghyuck’s hanging out the small window with a smirk on his face.

“No PDA,” he orders.

Jungwoo points at him. “One day, when you have a partner, I’m going to make sure they see all your embarrassing baby photos and knows all of your humiliating stories. Unless, of course, they already know them all.”

He tries not to smile when he spots Mark going insanely red in the face over Donghyuck’s shoulder.

Tilting his head, Donghyuck asks, “Why would they already know?”

Oh, sweet summer child.

“You wouldn’t, anyway. Otherwise I would have to tell Lucas all _your_ humiliating moments,” Donghyuck tells him. “Right?”

Lucas seems interested, but Jungwoo isn’t letting him hear anything. “You’re the devil.”

The smile he gets is bright and just a little bit wicked and a lot Donghyuck.

Well, it’s not like he expected an easy life, a simply future. He knows it’ll have its ups and downs, especially with Donghyuck in it. Still, he’s prepared for it. Prepared for whatever life throws at him.

Lucas’ fingers slip through his and Jungwoo isn’t worried. They’ll figure it out as they go. Because, no matter what happens, he has the people he needs, even some people who were a little unexpected, but certainly welcome. He tightens his hold on Lucas. Definitely welcome.

*Feel Free to come talk to me on [CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/DiamantNoir)*

**Author's Note:**

> Like I did with the last story, I'm going to list the powers here. I'm only listing the people who were in or mentioned in the story. 
> 
> Johnny - Enhanced strength  
> Taeyong - Telepathy - Ability to read minds  
> Kun - Healing - Ability to heal most--if not all--injuries  
> Doyoung - Mesmerism - Ability to mesmerize people into doing what he says  
> Jungwoo - Hydrokinesis - Ability to control water  
> Lucas - Teleportation - Ability to travel by folding space  
> Mark - Dream Jumping - Ability to jump into others' dreams  
> Dejun - Invisibility - Ability to become invisible to the naked eye/as well as giving him the ability to see  
> Hendery - Photokinesis - Ability to control light  
> Renjun - Omnilingualism - Ability to learn, speak, and understand all languages  
> Jeno - Zoolingualism - Ability to speak to and understand animals  
> Donghyuck - Pyrokinesis - Ability to control fire  
> Jaemin - Chlorokinesis - Ability to control plants/nature  
> YangYang - Enhanced Speed  
> Jisung - currently thought to be a Negate (someone without powers)


End file.
